Surabaya (ANTARA News) - The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team of East Java Police has identified eight more bodies of the ill-fated AirAsia QZ8501 flight, which went missing on Sunday (Dec.28).

"The DVI team today managed to identify eight victims, and they have been handed over to their families," Chief of East Java Police Inspector General Anas Yusuf stated here at the crisis center on Wednesday.

Thus, as many as 24 bodies have been identified so far, while the identification process on 15 others is still underway.

Based on primary identification data, such as teeth and matching DNA with the father, the body, labeled B007, was identified as Ratri Sri Andriyani (30), a resident of Surabaya.

"It was supported by the fact that she was wearing a brown belt and long jeans sized XXXL," Chief of the DVI team Senior Commissioner Budiyono noted.

The second body, labeled B010, was identified as Ruth Natalia Made Puspitasari (26), a resident of Blitar, East Java.

The third body, labeled B011, was identified as Jou Christine Yuanita (62), a resident of Surabaya by matching her DNA with the hair sample obtained from the victims comb.

Thereafter, a body, labeled B012, was identified as Soetikno Sia (60), a resident of Surabaya by matching teeth and DNA samples.

The fifth body, labeled B023, was identified as Rudy Soetjipto (54), a resident of Malang, East Java.

A body, labeled B017, was identified as Nico Giovanni (17), a resident of Surabaya.

Two other bodies, labeled B014 and B023, were identified as Indah Julianingsih (44), a resident of Surabaya, and Stephanie Yulianto (14), a resident of Probolinggo.

The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), on the eleventh day of search operations assisted by teams from several countries, has recovered 40 bodies of the passengers of the missing AirAsia QZ8501 aircraft.

The AirAsia Airbus A320-200, carrying 162 people, had gone missing on Sunday morning (Dec. 28) after losing contact with air traffic control on its way from Surabaya, East Java, to Singapore.

Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ8501 lost contact after the pilot requested to climb to 38 thousand feet from 32 thousand feet to avoid turbulent weather over the sea between Bangka Belitung and West Kalimantan.

The aircraft was carrying 155 passengers and seven crew members. It took off from the Juanda International Airport in Surabaya at 5:36 a.m. local time and lost contact with the Jakarta air traffic control at 6:17 a.m. local time.

The plane, piloted by Captain Iriyanto and First Officer (FO) Remi Emmanuel Plesel, was scheduled to arrive in Singapore at 8:30 a.m. local time.

Seven foreigners were among the passengers. The foreign nationals comprised three Koreans, a Singaporean, a British, a Malaysian, and a French FO.

(Reporting by Fiqih Arfani/Uu.INE/KR-BSR/A014)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2015