Indonesian civil aviation chief on Tuesday believes that pieces of debris spotted in the water near where AirAsia Flight 8501 went missing is from the missing plane.
“We spotted about 10 big objects and many more small white-coloured objects which we could not photograph,” an Indonesian air force official, Air Vice-Marshall Agus Dwi Putranto, told in a press conference.
“The position is 10km from the location the plane was last captured by radar,” he told AFP.
The National Search and Rescue Agency confirmed the Navy found an object underwater that resembled a plane, while several commanders are confident an emergency exit door is among the debris, according to local media on Twitter. They said due to everything seen so far, the agency is 95% certain it is AirAsia Flight 8501.
Search officials are concerned that currents in the waters could cause the debris to spread before the teams arrive, reports CNN.
Channel News Asia also reported that search officials are bringing body bags to Pangkalan Bun in preparation for the worst.
UPDATE: At least 40 bodies have been recovered from the sea in the search for missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501, the Indonesian navy says and with reports from BBC News and RT.
The bodies were spotted along with debris floating in the Java Sea off the Indonesian part of Borneo, in one of the search zones for the plane.
“We spotted about 10 big objects and many more small white-coloured objects which we could not photograph,” an Indonesian air force official, Air Vice-Marshall Agus Dwi Putranto, told in a press conference.
#QZ8501: 10 big objects & many more small white-coloured objects spotted, says Indonesian air force official #AirAsia pic.twitter.com/g8KItBxn33
— New Straits Times (@NST_Online) December 30, 2014
“The position is 10km from the location the plane was last captured by radar,” he told AFP.
The National Search and Rescue Agency confirmed the Navy found an object underwater that resembled a plane, while several commanders are confident an emergency exit door is among the debris, according to local media on Twitter. They said due to everything seen so far, the agency is 95% certain it is AirAsia Flight 8501.
Indonesia rescue agency says 95% sure debris from AirAsia flight http://t.co/wDdI8FGCt5
— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) December 30, 2014
Search officials are concerned that currents in the waters could cause the debris to spread before the teams arrive, reports CNN.
Channel News Asia also reported that search officials are bringing body bags to Pangkalan Bun in preparation for the worst.
UPDATE: At least 40 bodies have been recovered from the sea in the search for missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501, the Indonesian navy says and with reports from BBC News and RT.
The bodies were spotted along with debris floating in the Java Sea off the Indonesian part of Borneo, in one of the search zones for the plane.
WATCH: QZ8501 AirAsia wreckage found, dozens of bodies recovered
The search and locate operations for the missing AirAsia plane continues on day 3, Tuesday (Dec 30). About 30 ships and 15 aircraft have been mobilised for a multi-national search.
AirAsia flight QZ8501 en route to Changi Airport in Singapore disappeared on Sunday morning over the Java Sea with 162 people on board.
The search and locate operations for the missing AirAsia plane continues on day 3, Tuesday (Dec 30). About 30 ships and 15 aircraft have been mobilised for a multi-national search.
AirAsia flight QZ8501 en route to Changi Airport in Singapore disappeared on Sunday morning over the Java Sea with 162 people on board.
