It has been a week since AirAsia QZ8501 lost contact with air traffic controllers with 162 people on board. Fifth big airplane part has been found, while another body was recovered on Sunday, BASARNAS confirmed.
All times listed are Singapore time. Refresh this page for updates.
4.15PM: Three more bodies and a bag of debris have arrived at Pangkalan Bun airport.
All times listed are Singapore time. Refresh this page for updates.
4.15PM: Three more bodies and a bag of debris have arrived at Pangkalan Bun airport.
3.55PM: Indonesia authorities say three more bodies have been identified and returned to their families. They are: 24-year-old AirAsia flight attendant Wismoyo Ari Prambudi, 10-year-old passenger Jie Stevie Gunawan, and 30-year-old Juanita Limantara.
3.22PM: The US embassy in Indonesia issued a security alert for Surabaya yesterday, warning of potential threats against US-associated hotels and banks in the city. The mayor of Surabaya tells Channel NewsAsia's Sumisha Naidu that she believes this is a separate issue unrelated to the #QZ8501 incident.
3.13PM: An aircraft life raft of about 6m by 3m was spotted by Singapore’s RSS Persistence this morning. It took close to 20 men to retrieve it, says our field reporter Lam Sushan. The Indonesian authorities have been informed and arrangements will be made to deliver the life raft to them. No sorties were made on the Super Pumas today.
2.41PM: Singapore's MV Swift Rescue has commenced search in a new sector at 2.45pm on Sunday, after completing its last search sector. Visibility in the new sector is about 1 nautical mile, and the sea state and weather remain unfavourable for underwater search operations, according to TODAY reporter Raj Nadarajan, who is on board the navy ship.
2.14PM: An adult life jacket and three personal items believed to be from the wreckage of AirAsia flight QZ8501 picked up by the crew of the RSS Valour, was brought on board the MV Swift Rescue on Sunday at 1.15am. The items will be handed over to Indonesian authorities, according to a TODAY reporter.
1.38PM: Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on his Facebook page on Sunday that RSS Valour is on its way back to Singapore. "Well done boys for the good work done. I hope that you will be able to spend some time with your families as you were away during the New Year holidays," he wrote.
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1.10PM: UPDATE FROM MINDEF - A Super Puma helicopter on board RSS Persistence will send the recovered body to Pangkalan Bun. The body is expected to reach at 2.30pm local time.
12.40PM: In a press conference on Sunday, BASARNAS confirmed that another body was recovered and is now on RSS Persistence, This brings the total body count to 31. A fifth big object was also discovered, measuring 9.8 x 1.1 x 0.4 metres, said the BASARNAS chief.
Bad weather is impeding divers though, with dives suspended temporarily due to strong current of between 3-5 knots. The Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle (ROV) has been despatched to the area. There are 17 Russian divers at search area with unmanned submersibles, the search and rescue agency added.
In terms of assets deployed today, BASARNAS said there were 20 aircraft, 27 ships, including the KRI Usman Harun, deployed. Singapore had contributed two helicopters and four ships to the day's operations.
12.04PM: BODY RECOVERED - The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said a body was spotted by personnel onboard the RSS Persistence at 7.58am, and was recovered on board the ship at 8.46am. The body will be handed over to Indonesian authorities, who have been notified.
Reporter Lam Shushan, who is embedded on the RSS Persistence, said the body had been wrapped up by the time reporters were allowed access, and is unclear if the body was male or female.
11AM: Reporter Sumisha Naidu says AirAsia minders have stopped families from talking to media. These were families willingly talking to press, she added. She is not sure if this is part of protocol, or just some well-meaning staff being over-protective of the families.
10.50AM: Indonesia's meteorological agency said on Sunday that weather was the "triggering factor" behind AirAsia QZ8501's crash, after an initial report showed the plane could have flown into storm clouds.
"The most probable weather phenomenon was icing which can cause engine damage due to a cooling process. This is just one of the possibilities that occurred based on the analysis of existing meteorological data," it said.
9.45AM: According to Indonesian media Metro TV and Republika, Indonesia has deployed the controversial navy ship KRI Usman Harun to hunt for the missing AirAsia QZ8501 plane. Both media reported that the ship is equipped with advanced underwater sonar capabilities, which would aid in search efforts to find the main wreckage site.
Singapore had in February last year opposed the naming of the ship after the two MacDonald House bombers.
9AM: There were 46 members of Mawar Sharon, a Protestant denomination in Indonesia, on board AirAsia QZ8501, reports our correspondent Devianti Faridz. On Sunday, churchgoers prayed for the affected families who face up to the loss of their loved ones.
8.40AM: Twenty-seven ships have been assigned search vectors for Sunday's search and rescue efforts. Four of them - KD Lekir, KD Lekiu, KN Mitra Utama and RSS Supreme - have been assigned to the "Most Probable Area", where the main plane wreckage could be, according to Malaysia's Chief of Navy Abdul Aziz Jaafar in his tweet.
8AM: Recap of what happened on Saturday - Indonesia's search and rescue agency BASARNAS confirmed that 30 bodies have been recovered, with six identified. Four parts of the missing QZ8501 airplane have also been found. Weather in the search and rescue area for Sunday (Jan 4) is expected to be much better, which should aid in the recovery process.
Click here for more on the previous day's developments.
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