AirAsia Flight QZ8501: Singapore personnel among team despatched to find fuselage

Indonesian Search and Rescue and police carry a stretcher across the tarmac after receiving the remains of two passengers from AirAsia flight QZ8501 recovered from the sea at the airport in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan on Jan 2, 2015. -- PHOTO:
Indonesian Search and Rescue and police carry a stretcher across the tarmac after receiving the remains of two passengers from AirAsia flight QZ8501 recovered from the sea at the airport in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan on Jan 2, 2015. -- PHOTO: REUTE

JAKARTA - Search teams brought in two more bodies to Pangkalanbun in Kalimantan on Friday morning, bring the total count of recovered bodies to ten, local TV reports said.

The two bodies included one which was recovered on Thursday and waiting to reach ashore. Six more bodies are expected to be arrive at Pangkalan Bun weather permitting, Metro TV quoted authorities as saying.

"Weather off Pangkalan Bun currently is not stable - clear sky could turn suddenly dark, and clear again," Indonesia's West Fleet Navy Comander Widodo, who goes by one name like many Indonesians, told Metro TV on Friday morning after returning from sea.

He said tides are still high and human visibility under water is only two meters, making it difficult for divers to carry on the recovery process.

Divers need assistance from surface personnel, and if tides are high, it is risky for those onboard vessels to assist divers, he said.

Meanwhile, an Indonesian vessel despatched 11 personnel from Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and 3 personnel from Indonesia's Tansportation Safety Committee (KNKT) on a mission to find AirAsia fuselage to a sea location between Belitung and Borneo island, where the plane was last detected, TV reports said.

The team have a range of equipment to detect metal, including a multi beam scan sonar.

Tides now are now stil high and it is raining out there at the sea although it is not raining at the pangkalan bun operatiins base.

Three Singapore warships, three Malaysian vessels, and one US vessel are assisting Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) off Pangkalan Bun.

AirAsia QZ8501 banner

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.