Search and Rescue State Missing AirAsia Plane May be at Bottom of the Sea
The search is ongoing for the missing AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501 after disappearing with 162 passengers onboard. It has been deduced that the plane possibly sank into the ocean according to head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, Bambang Soelistyo. He stated, “Based on the co-ordinates given to us and evaluation that the estimated crash position is in the sea, the hypothesis is the plane is at the bottom of the sea.”
The plane, on flight to Singapore, requested a change of course due to bad weather however it did not release a distress signal before it’s disappearance. In Asia’s regional news the front page of the Beijing Times reads, “Only three days before the New Year – where is the road to home?” A girl on Facebook who is the daughter of a pilot posted a picture of her father with the caption, “Papa Come Home”. It has been an emotional time for relatives who many passengers were trying to visit over the holidays, many relatives are still hoping for the best.
Parallels are being made to flight MH370 that went missing in March and still has not been found.
Indonesia air force spokesman Hadi Tjahnanto said an oil spill was found in an area of the sea where their attention has been focussed, however they are unsure if it came from the plane. It has also been reported that items were spotted in the sea near Nangka island by an Australian search plane.
However Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla has said there was “no sufficient evidence” to link these discoveries to the missing plane. 30 ships and 15 aircraft were taking part in the search, even fishermen were asked to participate.
AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes called this incident his “worst nightmare” adding, “We are very devastated by what’s happened, it’s unbelievable.”
Those onboard are as follows:
- 137 adults, 17 children and one infant
- The majority were Indonesian including one UK national, a Malaysian, a Singaporean and three South Koreans
- The British national was identified as Chi-Man Choi
- Two pilots and five crew were also on board, one French and the others Indonesian
Oceanographer Simon Boxall said that the plane should not be too difficult to find if it went into the water. The sea floor is within diver depth, he says, and it was “likely that they’ll get answers within a few days”.
