Air Asia: Indonesian authorities have given up the search.

(Baonghean.vn) - On Tuesday, March 17, Indonesian authorities announced that the search for the bodies of the victims and the remains of the Air Asia plane that crashed in the Java Sea on December 28 would be completely halted.

When the accident occurred, the plane was carrying 162 passengers and crew. According to search teams, 56 bodies are still missing. Sources indicate that the four search vessels deployed “returned to Jakarta on Wednesday morning.” Tony Fernandes, head of Indonesia’s low-cost airline, stated, “We agree with the families of the victims that the search cannot continue indefinitely.”

Rescue teams recovered one of the pieces of debris from the Airbus A320-300 on March 2, 2015. Photo: AFP/Adek Berry

Since the accident, many foreign countries have sent aircraft and ships to assist Indonesia in searching for the bodies of the victims and the remains of the ill-fated aircraft. However, with the withdrawal of these foreign vessels, the intensity of the search has decreased in recent weeks.

On December 28, Airbus A320 flight QZ8501 disappeared from radar screens after requesting an increase in altitude to avoid dangerous clouds. At the time, there were 162 passengers on board, departing from Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, bound for Singapore. According to data retrieved from the black box, the Airbus A320 made a sudden increase in altitude – a rather unusual occurrence for a civilian aircraft – before crashing into the sea.

Chu Thanh– according to Le Monde, March 17