Press TV - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has extended his condolences to his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo over a passenger plane crash with 189 people on board.

In his message to the Indonesian president on Monday, Rouhani said he was deeply saddened by the tragic incident of the plane crash, which led to the death of the country's nationals, including a number of government officials.

The Lion Air Boeing 737 crashed into the sea on Monday as it tried to circle back to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, from where it had taken off minutes earlier.

It lost contact with air traffic officials on the ground after leaving the Soekarno Hatta international airport for Pangkal Pinang, the main city in the Bangka Belitung Islands, according to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (SAR).

The SAR spokesman, Yusuf Latief, said there were likely no survivors.

At least 23 government officials, four employees of state tin miner PT Timah and three employees of a Timah subsidiary were on the plane. A Lion Air official said one Italian passenger and an Indian pilot were on board.

Body parts and debris found from the search area, about 15 km off the coast, were brought to Jakarta. The plane went down in waters about 30 meters to 35 meters deep.