On Friday, the 13th day since the incident, efforts will be focused on lifting the airplane`s tail.
Pangkalan Bun, C Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - Rescuers found three more bodies of victims of the ill-fated AirAsia flight QZ8501 on Thursday, the 12th day of search operations, bringing the total count to 43.

"The number of bodies found till the 12th day has reached 43. Of the total, 41 have been transported to Surabaya, East Java, and two others will be taken to Pangkalan Bun," Director of Search Operations and Training of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) S. B. Supriyadi said at the Iskandar Airbase here Thursday evening.

He added that on Friday, the 13th day since the incident, efforts will be focused on lifting the airplanes tail. For this purpose, six balancing float tools for warship KRI Banda Aceh will be dispatched from Surabaya.

"Scanners detected an object some 10 meters long and 5 meters wide. But it has yet to be confirmed that the object is, indeed, part of the AirAsia flight," he stated.

Divers of the SAR team will dive into the waters to see the object on Friday to be sure of what it is.

Supriyadi further noted that unfavorable weather conditions prohibited the divers from confirming what the object was on Wednesday. Also, visibility under water is only about one meter.

AirAsia flight QZ8501, carrying 155 passengers and seven crew members, went missing on Sunday (December 28) morning after losing contact with air traffic control on its way from Surabaya, East Java, to Singapore.

The plane lost contact after its pilot requested to climb to 38 thousand feet from 32 thousand feet to avoid rough weather over the sea between Bangka Belitung and West Kalimantan.

It is believed to have crashed in the Java Sea near Karimata Strait, some 95 nautical miles from Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan.

The aircraft took off from 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.

Until now, search and rescue officials have recovered 43 bodies of passengers.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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