'Vanished' AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Debris, 40 Bodies Retrieved In Java Sea Confirms Malaysia Carrier In Facebook Update
Reports are confirming that debris and 40 bodies from the AirAsia Flight QZ8501 have been found, after rescue teams including the Indonesian Navy said they're objects in the sea are from the 'vanished' Malaysia airline. Live reports say that the forty bodies have been retrieved, while six more have been found.
In early reports, Bambang Soelistyo, the search and rescue agency chief, had said that that radar data analysis revealed that the 'Vanished' AirAsia Flight QZ8501 was at the bottom of the sea, according Yahoo News.
The debris from the AirAsia Flight QZ8501 included an emergency slide and the Airbus A320-200 plane's door. Rescue workers have also identified bodies off the coast of Borneo.
The flight manifest consists of "one Singaporean, one Malaysian, one British, three South Koreans and 149 Indonesians, while the crew consists of six Indonesians and one French (the co-pilot)," according to Yahoo. The pilot was referred to as a 'talented professional' and his daughter had posted social messages saying, 'Come home Pappa," the BBC reported.
The AirAsia Facebook site posted this statement as their latest update at approximately 11 GMT, December 30:
"AirAsia Indonesia regrets to inform that the National Search and Rescue Agency Republic of Indonesia (BASARNAS) today confirmed that the debris found earlier today is indeed from QZ8501, the flight that had lost contact with air traffic control on the morning of 28th."
The statement added, "The debris of the aircraft was found in the Karimata Strait around 110 nautical miles south west from Pangkalan Bun. The aircraft was an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC. There were 155 passengers on board, with 137 adults, 17 children and 1 infant. Also on board were 2 pilots, 4 cabin crews and one engineer."
The US has been requested to help in the search by Indonesian officials and others such as Britain, Japan, South Korea, China, the UK, France and reportedly Russia have also offered to help.
Reports also confirm that 27 registered passenger next-of-kin will take a flight to Surabaya, Indonesia to join other relatives waiting for updates. Counseling and spiritual help centers have been established for families of passengers in Surabaya.
The Call Center helpline for information about passengers on number is +62 212 927 0811 or 031- 869 0855 or 031- 298 6790 (Surabaya).
The following dedicated hotlines are also available for families and updates are available on AirAsia website at www.airasia.com:
Malaysia: +60 321 795 959
Indonesia: +62 212 927 0811
Singapore: +65 6307 7688
Korea: 007 9814 206 9940
