40 Bodies from Missing AirAsia Flight Recovered
More than 40 bodies have been recovered from the AirAsia flight QZ8501 wreckage by an Indonesian warship Dec. 30.
A major search operation was initiated after the flight went missing in the wee hours of Sunday.
"Based on the navy radio, it has been reported that the warship Bung Tomo has retrieved 40 bodies and the number is growing. They are very busy now," said Manahan Simorangkir Kadispenal, a spokeman for Indonesia's Navy, Reuters reports.
On learning about the latest development, relatives of the passengers started crying hysterically. One woman had to be taken out on a stretcher after she fainted on hearing the news. During the aerial searches, a team noticed some items and a body of a passenger of the AirAsia flight floating in the sea.
The relatives were hoping for a miracle but the debris, which is now 95 percent of the AirAsia flight QZ8501, crushed them. "My heart will be totally crushed if it's true. I will lose a son," 60-year-old Dwijanto told AFP, Channel News Asia reports.
The aircraft, which is an Airbus A320-200, lost all communication with the Jakarta air traffic control tower Sunday 6:17 a.m local time, less than an hour after taking off from Surabaya, Indonesia. It was travelling to Singapore and was carrying as many as 162 people - 155 passengers and seven crew members.
"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," airline boss Tony Fernandes posted on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Surabaya, Tri Rismaharini told the relatives: "You have to be strong. They are not ours, they belong to God."
