More than a week after AirAsia flight QZ8501 crashed into the Java Sea, the search for the black box continues, with efforts focused on finding the tail of the plane.
All times listed are Singapore time. Refresh this page for updates.
4.35PM: The three bodies recovered this morning brings the total tally to 37, says BASARNAS chief Bambang Soelistyo. The bodies were retrieved near where most of the plane parts were discovered, and more aircraft debris, including seats, has also been found. Finding more bodies and recovering the black box in the priority area remain the focus of the search.
5.05PM: Indonesia police say four more bodies have been identified, all Indonesians. They are:
- Shiame Josal, 45 years old, female
- Tony Linaksita, 42 years old, male
- Lim Yan Koen, 61 years old, male
- Yongke Jou, 53 years old, male
This means that of the 37 bodies retrieved so far, a total of 13 have been identified.
5PM: Singapore’s RSS Valour has returned to Tuas Naval Base after being deployed for eight days in QZ8501 search efforts. Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Lai Chung Han and other senior officers greeted the returning servicemen to thank them for their contributions. The RSS Supreme, which has been assisting search operations for over a week, will also depart for Singapore for replenishment.
4.35PM: The three bodies recovered this morning brings the total tally to 37, says BASARNAS chief Bambang Soelistyo. The bodies were retrieved near where most of the plane parts were discovered, and more aircraft debris, including seats, has also been found. Finding more bodies and recovering the black box in the priority area remain the focus of the search.
Weather conditions are relatively better today, but those in the search area are still facing strong currents of between 2 to 4 knots. Divers are on standby, and heavy equipment will be deployed to lift wreckage should “all efforts fail”, he said.
4.25PM: A mangled passenger seat has been recovered during the search, and transported to Pangkalan Bun.
4.04PM: QZ8501 will not delay AirAsia’s plans to re-enter the Japanese market, AP-Dow Jones quoted an airline spokesperson as saying. The Japan unit of the carrier had planned to resume its services under a new joint venture this year, after it ended a partnership with the parent company of All Nippon Airways Co in June 2013.
3.40PM: The Indonesian police will send a team to support the crash investigation, said police chief Sutarman in an AP-Dow Jones report. Speaking at a news conference, he added that the probe will track down QZ8501's history, and will look into possible violations of law.
3.06PM: Merlion International School in Surabaya holds a special assembly session for two of its students who were on board QZ8501.
"We really feel like we lost a family member, and in this case we have (lost) two."
2.34PM: The Indonesian transport ministry reaffirms that QZ8501 did not have approval to fly on the day of the incident, rejecting airport operator Angkasa Pura I's statement that it had permission to fly.
2.07PM: Three bodies have arrived at Pangkalan Bun.
1.37PM: Indonesian armed forces chief Moeldoko has offered to bring family members of the victims to the crash site. Speaking at a news conference, he said the family members will be flown by military plane to Pangkalan Bun, before boarding a navy ship to the search area.
1.36PM: One more body has been found, says Malaysia's Chief of Navy Abdul Aziz Jaafar, adding that three bodies in total have been recovered on board the Malaysian ship KAS.
1.01PM: Indonesia's Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan orders agencies to suspend officials who were on duty during flight QZ8501, reports AP-Dow Jones, citing an official.
12.55PM: Indonesia's search and rescue agency BASARNAS sends personnel to retrieve two bodies found in the search operation.
12.07PM: Two more bodies have been found and Malaysian ship KD Kasturi is in the process of recovering them, says Chief of Navy Abdul Aziz Jaafar.
11.55AM: Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry has imposed mandatory briefings for pilots prior to departures, the Jakarta Post reports. The briefings would keep pilots informed of possible emergency decisions that they might have to make while flying, the ministry’s Acting Director-General for Air Transportation Djoko Murjatmodjo said.
10.56AM: Indonesian navy divers have resumed efforts to identify suspected wreckage in calmer waters. No signal has been detected yet from the plane's black boxes, reports Reuters.
9.06AM: More than 30 students in Pangkalan Bun have volunteered their time during their school holidays to help out with the search operations.
7.49AM: The search sector has expanded eastward due to the direction of the current, according to Malaysia's Chief of Navy Abdul Aziz Jaafar.
7.45AM: Captain Ryan Tan, a Super Puma pilot, explains how the Singapore team is conducting the search operations for AirAsia flight QZ8501, while operating off the RSS Persistence.
The unpredictable weather has been challenging for the team, resulting in limited launch windows for them to carry out the search, he says.
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7.18AM: AirAsia has downplayed an incident that saw one of its planes turn back before take-off in Indonesia. Flight 7633 was taxiing in preparation for take-off on Saturday at Surabaya airport – where crashed flight QZ8501 also took off – when a power unit used to start the plane shut down, an airline official said. As a result, the pilot turned back to the gate.
Local media had reported the Bandung-bound plane's engine had cut out after emitting a loud bang that terrified passengers. The plane later landed safely at its destination after undergoing a check.
AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes has lashed out at the media reports, calling the headlines "silly".
7.10AM: The daughter of Captain Irianto, pilot of flight QZ8501, has made a televised plea to the public not to blame her father, AFP reports.
"He is just a victim and has not been found yet. My family is now mourning," said Angela Anggi Ranastianis, 22. "As a daughter, I cannot accept it. No pilot will harm his passengers," she said.
7AM: Recap of what happened on Sunday – 34 bodies have been recovered, with nine identified. Experts from Singapore, South Korea and Australia are helping in the identification process. Five major parts of the Airbus A320-200 have been found off the island of Borneo, and search efforts are now focused on locating the tail of the plane, where the black box is.
Click here for more on the previous day's developments.
- CNA/cy
