Phone Prabowo, Acting US Defense Minister Offers Assistance In Handling The Fall Of Sriwijaya Air SJ-182

Indonesian Navy soldiers in a search operation related to the downing of Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 aircraft (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The United States (US) government, through Acting Defense Minister Christopher C Miller, expressed his condolences for the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 plane crash. The US offered the assistance needed by Indonesia in dealing with the accident.

In a written statement from the US Embassy, it was stated that Miller had spoken by telephone with the Indonesian Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto to convey his condolences for the accident of the crash.

"Defense Minister Miller offers whatever support Indonesia may need," the US Embassy wrote in a statement quoted by Antara, Thursday, January 14.

Apart from that, Miller also expressed his confidence in the ability of the Indonesian government to handle the incident.

"The two leaders conveyed their sympathy to the accident victims and their families," said the US Embassy.

Earlier, the US National Transportation Safety Agency (NTSB) on Tuesday, January 12, said it would send a team of investigators to Indonesia in the next few days to investigate the downing of the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 plane.

According to a Reuters report, the NTSB will send an accredited US representative and three other investigators to Jakarta.

The Boeing 737-500 aircraft belonging to Srwijaya Air airline crashed into the sea on Saturday (9/1), four minutes after departing from Soekarno-Hatta airport. NTSB has expertise in operations, human performance, aircraft structures and systems, the safety agency said. NTSB also stated that it would work closely with personnel from the US Federal Aviation Administration, General Electric Co, and Boeing Co.