Indonesian officials have confirmed the discovery of debris they believe is from AirAsia flight QZ5801 during search and rescue operations. Families of those onboard are preparing themselves for the worst, after the bodies of at least 40 victims were also spotted among the debris.
During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Indonesian search and rescue personnel said they were “95 percent” sure the wreckage that had been spotted from the air by search and rescue teams was from the AirAsia plane that went missing early on Sunday morning.
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“Significant things have been found such as a passenger door and cargo door,” said Djoko Murjatmodjo, Indonesia’s acting director general of civil aviation. “It’s in the sea, 160 kilometers (100 miles) southwest of Pangkalan Bun.”
“It has been confirmed that it is debris from an aircraft bearing red and white colors,” Murjatmodjo added, referring to markings that correspond with those used by AirAsia planes.
Bambang Soelistyo, the head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, announced at the press conference that a shape resembling the silhouette of an airplane had also been spotted, adding weight to their belief that the plane is at the bottom of the sea.
“God blessed us today,” Soelistyo said. “At 12:50 the air force Hercules found an object described as a shadow at the bottom of the sea in the form of a plane.
“All elements in the areas and search and rescue personnel will be moved to the location,” he continued.
The press conference followed growing speculation that the plane had been sighted. The Jakarta Post reported that an Indonesian Air Force pilot who had been involved in the search had spotted bodies in the water during flights over the rescue area.
Missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501 is likely ‘at the bottom of the sea,’ officials say. Read more here.
“We thought that the passengers were still alive and waved at us for help. But when we approached closer, they were already dead,” lieutenant Tri Wibowo told Kompas.com, a local media outlet.
Earlier on Tuesday, Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency announced that on Wednesday the next of kin and families of those onboard QZ5801 would be flown from Surabaya airport, the origin of the flight, to the island of Belitung, that lies close to the ocean crash site.
It was also reported that Indonesian authorities were preparing for the worst, as dozens of body bags were photographed being stockpiled at nearby Pangkalan Bun in Kalimantan province.
When images were played on Indonesian television of a body being recovered after Tuesday’s press conference, Reuters reported harrowing scenes among gathered relatives. Their reporter described that several people collapsed in grief and were helped away.
“You have to be strong,” the mayor of Surabaya, Tri Rismaharini, said as she comforted relatives. “They are not ours, they belong to God.”
