AirAsia plane could be 'on the bottom of the sea'

The head of Indonesia's search force said AirAsia flight QZ8501 is likely "at the bottom of the sea".

Graphics: Channel News Asia

AFP quoted the head of the Indonesian search force as saying that the AirAsia plane was likely "lying at the bottom of the sea".

"Based on the coordinates and assessments, the estimated crash site is at sea, the current assumption is that the plane is at the bottom of the sea," Bambang Soelistyo, head of Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, said at a press conference.

"Those are initial suspicions and it may develop further based on the assessment of results during the search."

9:33:AFP quoted the head of the Indonesian search force as saying that the AirAsia plane was likely "lying at the bottom of the sea".

"Based on the coordinates and assessments, the estimated crash site is at sea, the current assumption is that the plane is at the bottom of the sea," Bambang Soelistyo, head of Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, said at a press conference.

"Those are initial suspicions and it may develop further based on the assessment of results during the search."

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9:02Indonesian officials hold a press conference at Surabaya airport.

A Singapore Navy ship participates in the search for QZ8501. Photo: Republic of Singapore Navy.

Sigit Setiayana, commander of the Indonesian Air Force Center at Surabaya Air Base, said 12 navy ships, five planes, three helicopters and several warships were involved in the search, along with ships and planes from Singapore and Malaysia. “God bless us to find it soon,” he told the AP.

8:10

Location of Belitung Island. Graphics: ABC News

“We are focusing our search on the waters east and north of Belitung Island,” an Indonesian air force official said. Belitung is located on the east coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, on the Java Sea.

8:06The Indonesian military search and rescue team in Manggar, East Belitung, Indonesia notified fishermen in the search area for assistance.

The Australian Air Force has deployed an AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft to support the search for Indonesia’s QZ8501. The AP-3C Orion departed Darwin early this morning.

Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion aircraft. Photo: RAAF.

8:00The latest announcement from AirAsia said there were 155 passengers on flight QZ8501, including 137 adults, 17 children and 1 infant. The crew included two pilots, 4 flight attendants and an engineer.

The captain has 20,537 hours of flying experience. The first officer has 2,275 hours of flying experience with AirAsia Indonesia alone.

7:56Aircraft and crew from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia will join the search and rescue operation on the second day after QZ8501 went missing.

7:51

Tracking the flight path of the flight with the same flight number as the missing plane that landed safely at Changi. Photo: Channel News Asia

Channel News Asia said the flight from Surabaya to Singapore, using the same flight number QZ8501 as the missing plane, landed safely at Changi Airport this morning.

7:50Up to 200 people were deployed across four areas in the search operation yesterday, Indonesian officials said.

07:26

Rescue operations resume as daylight rises in Surabaya, Indonesia. Photo: Channel News Asia

Indonesian authorities resumed the search for the missing AirAsia plane this morning, a reporter from Indonesia's TV1 channel said. The person was on board the military search plane.

Indonesia's National Rescue Agency said seven ships and two helicopters were ready to go early this morning, according to CNN. Those involved in the operation said weather could be a factor affecting the progress of the work. High waves and clouds made the search difficult yesterday.

An unnamed Indonesian transport ministry official said the country would lead the investigation into the crash. "The plane is registered in Indonesia and it appears to have gone missing in Indonesian territory, so we will lead the investigation," the official said.

Meanwhile, Singapore said it had sent two naval ships to help the Indonesian military search for the Airbus A320-200. C-130 aircraft also joined the search for the plane yesterday, according to Reuters.

Malaysia will send three naval ships and a C0130, Channel News Asia reported. The US, UK, Australia, South Korea and India have also offered to assist Indonesia in the search for the plane, from mobilizing search aircraft, naval ships to experts and investigations.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said the people of the country were praying for the safety of the passengers and crew. In a speech in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Pope Francis said he was praying for those on board the missing flight.

Flight QZ8501, carrying 162 people, lost contact yesterday morning while en route from Surabaya to Singapore. Earlier, the pilot requested to increase altitude and deviate from the normal route due to bad weather. The Indonesian vice president said the plane may have crashed.

According to VNE