Indonesia dismisses technical director and technicians of Lion Air over the crash of one of its jets with 189 people on board

The Indonesian government has reportedly dismissed the technical director of Lion Air airlines and several of its technicians after the crash of one of its jets with 189 people on board.

The Minister of Transportation, Budi Karya announced their dismissal at a press conference today, saying:  “Today we will replace Lion’s technical director with somebody else, along with engineers being in charge of and recommending the flight.” 

It was not clear whether the removal was permanent or temporary, but the minister told reporters that the dismissal of the director would ease the investigation process, according to Detik news

"All matters related to the investigation will be reported to the National Transportation Safety Committee and it will determine what's next to do," he said, in comments that were broadcast by Kompas TV. 

According to air tracking service Flightradar 24, the flight JT610 operated by Lion Air, lost contact with the ground 13 minutes after take-off and crashed into the sea off Jakarta on Monday with 189 people on board.