AirAsia plane wreckage found, victims sighted in search zone
Several victims have been spotted in the search zone of the missing AirAsia flight, the Indonesian Navy stated. Objects resembling parts of the plane were seen in the same area.
“There was a man swaying on the waves. After I looked at the photo carefully on my laptop, I understood it was a human body,” a lieutenant of the Indonesian Air Force told local media.
Meanwhile, Indonesian authorities are checking if what they saw are bodies or survivors, navy officials stated.
“Crew had visual of people at sea surface, not far from debris,” they said.
It comes after objects that resemble an emergency slide, plane door, and a square box-like item have been spotted 10km from the last position of the missing AirAsia jet, according to Indonesian authorities.
“We spotted about 10 big objects and many more small white-colored objects which we could not photograph,” Indonesian Air Force official Agus Dwi Putranto said at a press conference.
An AFP photographer from the same search flight said he had observed objects in the sea resembling a life raft, life jackets and long orange tubes.
Indonesian officials have expressed concern over the currents in the sea, saying if bad weather persists, debris could be spread before crews get to it.
An Airbus A320-200 carrying 162 people and operated by Indonesia AirAsia disappeared in poor weather on Sunday morning during a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.
“Hopefully we will find something definite because I haven’t received anything else,” an Air Force official told MetroTV referring to the reported debris. “Other aircraft are still carrying out searches.”
Currently, at least 30 vessels, 15 planes, and seven choppers are looking for the AirAsia jet, Indonesian officials have stated.
Most of the search is conducted by Indonesia, but Singapore, Malaysia and Australia are taking part as well.
Thailand is planning to join the search, while the US has sent a warship to help.
www.rt.com / link to original article
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