AirAsia: 30 Bodies Retrieved Some With Seat Belts, Life Jackets; QZ8501 Passengers Attempt Crash-Landing-Escape? 'Black Box' Has The Answer

Over the last few day, 16 more bodies from the AirAsia Flight QZ8501 were recovered to make the total count 30. The search of the AirAsia Airbus 320-200 and passengers inside the plane is the next step along with finding the 'black box', rescue operations amid high waves in the Java Sea has hampered the Navy's operations. Some bodies were founded seated in their passenger seats with the seat belts. Earlier data from the rescue authorities revealed that some victims had life jackets on, suggesting there may have been time for a recovery before the AirAsia QZ8501 sank into the Java Sea.

The New York Post reported Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo, Indonesia's search-and-rescue chief as saying, "Waves were between 3 and 4 meters today, making it difficult to load bodies onto ships and between ships."

Although a cause for the AirAsia crash cannot be made until the 'black box' located at the back-end is found, the BBC reported that a new development in the AirAsia investigation found AirAsia did not have license to fly on a Sunday, but only on other days of the week. The AirAsia tragedy occurred on a Sunday. Other reports have also implied that the spot where the AirAsia QZ8501 dropped from the radar scanner had a heavy traffic of planes flying to close to the QZ8501. There were also reports suggesting that lightning was another risk factor during the time of the crash.

According to a report by Reuters, National Committee for Transportation Safety investigator Toos Sanitioso said, "After the black box is found, we are able to issue a preliminary report in one month," adding, "we cannot yet speculate what caused the crash." Reports say that it will take at least another week for divers to find the 'black box,' which contains the vital information that the aviation experts are looking for.