News / International
'Forty bodies' found in missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501 search
30 Dec 2014 at 09:11hrs | Views
Relatives cried and hugged each other as bodies were shown on live TV
Forty bodies have been recovered in the search for the missing AirAsia plane and a "shadow" has been spotted on the seabed.
The bodies - which were not wearing life jackets - have been brought on board a navy ship, said Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Director SB Supriyadi.
Local television broadcast pictures of the bodies floating in the sea.
"The warship Bung Tomo has retrieved 40 bodies and the number is growing. They are very busy now," said a navy spokesman.
They were found in the Java Sea about six miles (10km) from where the plane last communicated with air traffic control.
Search chief SB Supriyadi also said an air force Hercules had "found an object described as a shadow at the bottom of the sea in the form of a plane".
Objects spotted earlier, including items resembling a plane door and an emergency slide, have also been confirmed as part of the plane.
AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes said he was rushing to the scene and wrote on Twitter: "My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ 8501.
"On behalf of AirAsia my condolences to all. Words cannot express how sorry I am."
The Airbus A320-200 disappeared from radar on Sunday morning, on its way from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore.
There were 162 people on board, including one British man, Hull-born Chi Man Choi, and his two-year-old daughter.
The aircraft's last request - to climb higher to avoid a storm - was turned down.
Minutes later it fell off the radar without giving any distress call.
Geoffrey Thomas, editor of AirlineRatings.com, told Sky News: "We have a radar plot which shows the plane actually climbing through 36,300ft - it wasn't given permission to do that.
"It also shows that its speed had decayed by 134mph and dropped dramatically to a level where it couldn't sustain flight."
Some 30 ships and 21 aircraft from South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and Indonesia have been involved in the search.
The bodies - which were not wearing life jackets - have been brought on board a navy ship, said Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Director SB Supriyadi.
Local television broadcast pictures of the bodies floating in the sea.
"The warship Bung Tomo has retrieved 40 bodies and the number is growing. They are very busy now," said a navy spokesman.
They were found in the Java Sea about six miles (10km) from where the plane last communicated with air traffic control.
Search chief SB Supriyadi also said an air force Hercules had "found an object described as a shadow at the bottom of the sea in the form of a plane".
Objects spotted earlier, including items resembling a plane door and an emergency slide, have also been confirmed as part of the plane.
AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes said he was rushing to the scene and wrote on Twitter: "My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ 8501.
The Airbus A320-200 disappeared from radar on Sunday morning, on its way from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore.
There were 162 people on board, including one British man, Hull-born Chi Man Choi, and his two-year-old daughter.
The aircraft's last request - to climb higher to avoid a storm - was turned down.
Minutes later it fell off the radar without giving any distress call.
Geoffrey Thomas, editor of AirlineRatings.com, told Sky News: "We have a radar plot which shows the plane actually climbing through 36,300ft - it wasn't given permission to do that.
"It also shows that its speed had decayed by 134mph and dropped dramatically to a level where it couldn't sustain flight."
Some 30 ships and 21 aircraft from South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and Indonesia have been involved in the search.
Source - SkyNews
