AirAsia wreckage found, rescuers start retrieving bodies from water

Family members of those aboard AirAsia Flight 8501 collapsed in agony Tuesday as images of debris and a bloated body flashed across Indonesian television screens, proof that the plane crashed into the sea two days earlier with 162 people on board. An Indonesian search team chief said that three bodies—two female and one male—have been recovered from the area so far. Indonesia’s ongoing attempts to recover bodies from the water where they were found have been hampered by poor weather and rough seas.

My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ8501. On behalf of AirAsia, my condolences to all. Words cannot express how sorry I am.

Tony Fernandes, AirAsia CEO

The Airbus A320-200, operated by Indonesia AirAsia and carrying 162 people, lost radar contact in poor weather on Sunday morning during a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. What happened to Flight QZ8501, which had sought permission from Indonesian air traffic control to ascend to avoid clouds, is still a mystery. About 30 ships and 21 aircraft from Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and the United States were searching up to 10,000 square nautical miles on Tuesday. The search was focused on waters around the islands of Bangka and Belitung in the Java Sea, across from Kalimantan. The plane, which did not issue a distress signal, disappeared after its pilot failed to get permission to fly higher to avoid bad weather because of heavy air traffic, officials said.

World qz8501