Search Operation

Sonar spots ‘large object’ in AirAsia search

Indonesian Navy ship KRI Yos Sudarso takes part in the search operation for missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501. (Reuters)

By Al Arabiya with Agencies | Pangkalan Bun, Indonesia
Wednesday, 31 December 2014

A sonar image showing a large, dark object under the sea was presumed to be the missing AirAsia plane, an official with Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said on Wednesday.

“It’s about 30-50 meters under water,” said the official, Hernanto.

Crews are standing by to collect and identify bodies from the plane that crashed on Sunday during bad weather on a flight from Indonesia to Singapore.

“We are praying it is the plane so the evacuation can be done quickly,” Hernanto said.

The massive hunt for the 162 victims of Flight 8501 resumed in the Java Sea on Wednesday, with six bodies, including a flight attendant identified by her trademark red uniform, recovered. But wind, strong currents and high surf hampered recovery efforts as distraught family members anxiously waited to identify their loved ones.

Three bodies were retrieved Tuesday, while the others were found after the search resumed Wednesday morning, said Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency chief Henry Bambang Soelistyo.

On Tuesday, the number had varied with different officials saying as many as six corpses had been discovered.

A crew member of an Indonesian Maritime Surveillance plane says a prayer before a search mission to look for AirAsia's Flight QZ8501 in Pangkal Pinang, Bangka island. (Reuters)

He said half of those found were male and half female, including the flight attendant.

The first proof of the jet's fate emerged Tuesday in an area not far from where it dropped off radar screens. Searchers found the bodies and debris that included a life jacket, an emergency exit door and a suitcase about 10 miles from the plane's last known coordinates.

On Wednesday, divers were deployed, but heavy rain and clouds grounded helicopters, said Soelistyo.

Members of the Search and Rescue Agency carry debris recovered from the sea presumed from missing Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ 8501. (Reuters)

The airliner's disappearance halfway through a two-hour flight between Surabaya, Indonesia, and Singapore triggered an international search for the aircraft involving dozens of planes, ships and helicopters. It is still unclear what brought the plane down.

The plane needs to be located and its cockpit voice and flight data recorders, or black boxes, recovered before officials can start determining what caused the crash.

Family members of passengers onboard AirAsia flight QZ8501 react at a waiting area in Juanda International Airport. (Reuters)

Images of the debris and a bloated body shown on Indonesian television sent a spasm of anguish through the room at the Surabaya airport where relatives awaited news.

The first sign of the jet turned up about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from its last known coordinates. Parts of the interior, including the oxygen tank, were brought to the nearest town, Pangkalan Bun. Another find included a bright blue plastic suitcase, completely unscratched.

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