"We are still conducting a search with divers from the National Police. We hope there are still more victims of the airplane crash or parts that can be found," Chief of Riau Island Police Brigadier General Sam Budigusdian said here on Tuesday.
On Monday, rescuers recovered the airplanes engine and wing from the waters of the Riau Islands.
Airplane parts retrieved from the water have been delivered to and held at a post in Hang Nadim International Airport of Batam.
Meanwhile, human body parts collected in nine body bags are being held at Bhayangkara Police Hospital for identification.
The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team of Riau Islands Police on Tuesday identified another passenger of the airplane crash, a body labeled I-LNG-013, as Brigadier Joko Sungatno.
So far, six passengers from the plane have been identified by the DVI team.
The other five identified passengers were Second Brigadier Eri Dwi Perdana, Brigadier Suwarno, Adjunct Commissioner Safran, Adjunct Commissioner Abdul Munir, and Chief Brigadier Erwin.
The identified bodies will be held until the search operation is completed, the local police chief reported.
The police plane departed from Jakarta for Pangkal Pinang in the Sumatran province of the Bangka-Belitung Islands with 16 people on board.
Three passengers disembarked at Pangkal Pinang, while the remaining 13 continued the flight to Batam, Riau Islands. The plane crashed while en-route to Batam.
All the passengers on board, including the crew members, were policemen.
The plane reportedly lost contact above the northern waters of Lingga District, Riau Islands Province, on Saturday (Dec 3).
The search operation, led by the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), is utilizing advanced technology to find both debris and passengers from the ill-fated plane.
The joint task force comprises Basarnas personnel and members of the coast guard, the navy, and the Rescue Coordination Center in Singapore.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
