Ray of hope: Better weather aids AirAsia QZ8501 search efforts

Improving weather is aiding the search for victims of AirAsia Flight 8501, with officials trying to locate the fuselage of the plane that crashed in the sea four days ago. Two more bodies have been recovered, bringing the total to nine of the 162 people who were on the flight when it vanished Sunday half way through a two-hour flight from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore. Sonar images have identified what appears to be large parts of the plane, but strong currents are moving the debris. The break in weather Thursday - blue skies and calm seas despite earlier storm predictions - could aid recovery efforts, and Vice Air Marshal Sunarbowo Sandi, search and rescue coordinator in Pangkalan Bun on Borneo island, the closest town to the targeted area, is hopeful divers would be able to explore the wreckage site.

It’s possible the bodies are in the fuselage, so it’s a race now against time and weather.

Vice Air Marshal Sunarbowo Sandi, search and rescue coordinator in Pangkalan Bun on Borneo island

The United States, Australia, Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia are among the countries helping in the search effort. It is still unclear what brought the plane down. The jet’s last communication indicated the pilots were worried about bad weather. They sought permission to climb above threatening clouds but were denied because of heavy air traffic. Four minutes later, the airliner disappeared from the radar without issuing a distress signal. The cockpit-voice and flight-data recorders, or black boxes, must be recovered before officials can start determining what caused the crash. Items recovered so far include a life jacket, an emergency exit window, children’s shoes, a blue suitcase and backpacks filled with food.

Asia-Pacific