Main PageIndonesia fears missing jet 'at bottom of sea'
Jakarta - Dozens of planes and ships searching
Indonesian waters for a missing AirAsia plane
focused on Monday on a patch of oil for possible
clues, as a senior official warned the aircraft was
likely at the bottom of the sea.
Australia, Malaysia and Singapore joined the
Indonesia-led search as anguished relatives
awaited news of their loved ones more than a day
after Flight QZ8501 disappeared over the Java Sea
with 162 people on board.
"Papa come home, I still need Papa," Angela, the
daughter of the Indonesian pilot Irianto, begged in
an emotional appeal on local social media.
The Airbus A320-200 lost contact en route from
Surabaya in Indonesia's east Java to Singapore on
Sunday after the crew requested a change of flight
plan due to stormy weather, in the third crisis for a
Malaysian carrier this year.
Indonesian Air Force spokesperson Hadi Tjahjanto
told AFP the search was now concentrated on an
oil patch spotted off Belitung Island, across from
Kalimantan on Borneo Island.
"We are making sure whether it was avtur [aviation
fuel] from the AirAsia plane or from a vessel
because that location is a shipping line," he said.
As the second day's search ended at dusk, National
Search and Rescue Agency chief Bambang
Soelistyo said an Indonesian corvette was on its
way to collect an oil sample, with an
announcement expected on Tuesday.
Soelistyo earlier said it was likely the plane was at
the "bottom of the sea".
The hypothesis is "based on the co-ordinates given
to us and evaluation that the estimated crash
position is in the sea", he told journalists.
Ships and aircraft were searching an area where
the sea is 40-50m deep, he said, adding that
Indonesia was co-ordinating with other countries
to borrow any equipment needed to scour the
seabed.
Distraught relatives
Distraught relatives in Surabaya were desperately
hoping for news of loved ones as the international
search expanded.
Intan, 28, said Indonesia needed overseas help to
find the plane which was carrying her brother and
his family and friends.
"My hope is Indonesia seeks as much help as
possible from other countries. Don't claim 'We
have sophisticated technology', just ask other
countries because they are better equipped," she
told AFP, as Jakarta welcomed offers of help from
its neighbours.
"My prayer is I really, really hope that there will be
news about the people on board. Whatever it is,
what is important is we know where they are now,"
she said.
While the international operation has drawn
comparisons with the ongoing search for Malaysia
Airlines MH370, Australian Prime Minister Tony
Abbot said it did not appear to be a great mystery.
"It doesn't appear that there's any particular
mystery here," Abbott told Sydney radio station
2GB.
"It's an aircraft that was flying a regular route on a
regular schedule, it struck what appears to have
been horrific weather, and it's down. But this is not
a mystery like the MH370 disappearance and it's
not an atrocity like the MH17 shooting down."
China, which had 152 citizens on MH370, said in a
statement Monday that it would send a navy frigate
and a military jet to join in the search.
The frigate, on a routine patrol in the South China
Sea, was en route to the area where the plane went
missing, and the air force was coordinating with
countries on the flight route, the statement from
the defence ministry said.
Miraculous escape
One Indonesian family of 10 had a miraculous
escape when they arrived too late to catch Flight
QZ8501.
"Maybe it is all God's plan that my family and I
were not on the flight. It was a blessing in
disguise," said Christianawati, 36.
AirAsia said 155 of those on board were
Indonesian, with three South Koreans and one
person each from Singapore, Malaysia, Britain and
France. The Frenchman was the co-pilot.
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the twin-
engine aircraft around an hour after it left
Surabaya's Juanda international airport at about
05:35 on Sunday (22:35 GMT on Saturday).
Shortly before the plane disappeared, the pilot
asked to ascend to avoid heavy clouds but his
request was turned down due to another flight
above him.
The missing plane was operated by AirAsia
Indonesia, a unit of Malaysian-based AirAsia which
dominates Southeast Asia's booming low-cost
airline market.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago with poor roads and
railways, has seen explosive growth in low-cost air
travel over recent years.
But the air industry has been blighted by low safety
standards in an area that also experiences
extreme weather.
AirAsia, which has never suffered a fatal accident,
said the missing jet last underwent maintenance
on 16 November.
Its shares slumped 12% at the open but recovered
slightly to close 8.5% lower in Kuala Lumpur.
The plane's disappearance comes at the end of a
disastrous year for Malaysian aviation.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared while
flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March with
239 passengers and crew, and in July flight MH17
was shot down over troubled Ukraine killing all 298
on board.
AFP
Indonesian waters for a missing AirAsia plane
focused on Monday on a patch of oil for possible
clues, as a senior official warned the aircraft was
likely at the bottom of the sea.
Australia, Malaysia and Singapore joined the
Indonesia-led search as anguished relatives
awaited news of their loved ones more than a day
after Flight QZ8501 disappeared over the Java Sea
with 162 people on board.
"Papa come home, I still need Papa," Angela, the
daughter of the Indonesian pilot Irianto, begged in
an emotional appeal on local social media.
The Airbus A320-200 lost contact en route from
Surabaya in Indonesia's east Java to Singapore on
Sunday after the crew requested a change of flight
plan due to stormy weather, in the third crisis for a
Malaysian carrier this year.
Indonesian Air Force spokesperson Hadi Tjahjanto
told AFP the search was now concentrated on an
oil patch spotted off Belitung Island, across from
Kalimantan on Borneo Island.
"We are making sure whether it was avtur [aviation
fuel] from the AirAsia plane or from a vessel
because that location is a shipping line," he said.
As the second day's search ended at dusk, National
Search and Rescue Agency chief Bambang
Soelistyo said an Indonesian corvette was on its
way to collect an oil sample, with an
announcement expected on Tuesday.
Soelistyo earlier said it was likely the plane was at
the "bottom of the sea".
The hypothesis is "based on the co-ordinates given
to us and evaluation that the estimated crash
position is in the sea", he told journalists.
Ships and aircraft were searching an area where
the sea is 40-50m deep, he said, adding that
Indonesia was co-ordinating with other countries
to borrow any equipment needed to scour the
seabed.
Distraught relatives
Distraught relatives in Surabaya were desperately
hoping for news of loved ones as the international
search expanded.
Intan, 28, said Indonesia needed overseas help to
find the plane which was carrying her brother and
his family and friends.
"My hope is Indonesia seeks as much help as
possible from other countries. Don't claim 'We
have sophisticated technology', just ask other
countries because they are better equipped," she
told AFP, as Jakarta welcomed offers of help from
its neighbours.
"My prayer is I really, really hope that there will be
news about the people on board. Whatever it is,
what is important is we know where they are now,"
she said.
While the international operation has drawn
comparisons with the ongoing search for Malaysia
Airlines MH370, Australian Prime Minister Tony
Abbot said it did not appear to be a great mystery.
"It doesn't appear that there's any particular
mystery here," Abbott told Sydney radio station
2GB.
"It's an aircraft that was flying a regular route on a
regular schedule, it struck what appears to have
been horrific weather, and it's down. But this is not
a mystery like the MH370 disappearance and it's
not an atrocity like the MH17 shooting down."
China, which had 152 citizens on MH370, said in a
statement Monday that it would send a navy frigate
and a military jet to join in the search.
The frigate, on a routine patrol in the South China
Sea, was en route to the area where the plane went
missing, and the air force was coordinating with
countries on the flight route, the statement from
the defence ministry said.
Miraculous escape
One Indonesian family of 10 had a miraculous
escape when they arrived too late to catch Flight
QZ8501.
"Maybe it is all God's plan that my family and I
were not on the flight. It was a blessing in
disguise," said Christianawati, 36.
AirAsia said 155 of those on board were
Indonesian, with three South Koreans and one
person each from Singapore, Malaysia, Britain and
France. The Frenchman was the co-pilot.
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the twin-
engine aircraft around an hour after it left
Surabaya's Juanda international airport at about
05:35 on Sunday (22:35 GMT on Saturday).
Shortly before the plane disappeared, the pilot
asked to ascend to avoid heavy clouds but his
request was turned down due to another flight
above him.
The missing plane was operated by AirAsia
Indonesia, a unit of Malaysian-based AirAsia which
dominates Southeast Asia's booming low-cost
airline market.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago with poor roads and
railways, has seen explosive growth in low-cost air
travel over recent years.
But the air industry has been blighted by low safety
standards in an area that also experiences
extreme weather.
AirAsia, which has never suffered a fatal accident,
said the missing jet last underwent maintenance
on 16 November.
Its shares slumped 12% at the open but recovered
slightly to close 8.5% lower in Kuala Lumpur.
The plane's disappearance comes at the end of a
disastrous year for Malaysian aviation.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared while
flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March with
239 passengers and crew, and in July flight MH17
was shot down over troubled Ukraine killing all 298
on board.
AFP
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