JAKARTA — There were scenes of grief at Jakarta airport Wednesday several hours after a Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 with about 50 people on board went missing in a mountainous area south of the Indonesian capital during a demonstration flight.

Relatives of some passengers sitting on luggage carousels wept uncontrollably as they hoped for a miracle that could save their near and dear ones.

The plane disappeared from radar screens 50 minutes into what was meant to be a brief flight and rescue teams were headed in vehicles and on foot toward Salak mountain where the plane went missing.

“We suspect the plane crashed, but we’re not yet certain,” rescue chief Marsdya Daryatmo said several hours after the disappearance.

Yanny Mariana’s eyes welled up with tears as she told reporters that one of her four friends on the flight had called her in a panic. He had earlier told her the plane would fly above the city of Bandung and be back in Jakarta in under an hour. — AFP