AirAsia plane with 162 aboard missing in Indonesia

AirAsia plane with 162 aboard missing in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- An AirAsia plane with 162 people aboard lost contact with ground control Sunday after takeoff from Indonesia on the way to Singapore, and the airline said search and rescue operations were underway.

The plane lost communication with Indonesia's Surabaya airport 42 minutes after takeoff at 5:35 a.m., Hadi Mustofa, an official of the transportation ministry told Indonesia's MetroTV.

AirAsia said in a statement the plane was an Airbus A320-200 and that search and rescue operations were in progress.

Mustofa said the plane had seven crew and 155 passengers.

He said the plane lost contact when it was believed to be over the Java Sea between Kalimantan and Java islands.