A passenger plane carrying more than 50 people has gone missing after take-off from the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

Officials say Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 has lost contact with air traffic control en route to Pontianak. 

The last contact with the plane, with the call sign SJY182, was made at 14:40 local time (07:40)

Flightradar24.com shows that the aircraft lost more than 3,000m (10,000ft) in altitude in less than a minute.

Adita Irawati, the Indonesian Transport Ministry spokesperson, speaking to the South China Morning Post said: “At this point, we are investigating and coordinating the matter with Basarnas (the search and rescue agency) and KNKT (the transport safety body). We will release more information as soon as there are developments.”

Rescue efforts are thought to be underway. 

The Boeing 737-500 from the local carrier flew a short distance north of the airport and above the Java Sea before contact was lost.

The plane is not a 737 Max, the Boeing model involved in two major crashes in recent years.

Sriwijaya Air is a local budget airline which flies to Indonesian and other South-East Asian destinations.