Red and white debris that was sighted off Indonesia’s Kalimantan coast by Australian search planes is believed to be part of the AirAsia jet that is presumed to have crashed in the shallow waters off the Indonesian coast. The low-budget aircraft carrying 162 passengers was lost en route from Java to Singapore early on Sunday morning.
An oil slick and floating objects were spotted in separate locations though it is unknown if this is related to the plane that vanished halfway through the two-hour trip after running into bad weather. The pilot had requested to fly at higher altitudes in his last communication with air traffic control. The tower was unable to comply with this request.
Indonesian television showed footage of objects in the water. “In a number of photos, there appears to be at least a few fragments. Each fragment is brown and rectangular in shape, silver-colored elongated rods as well as black and red flakes,” said Indonesian air force official Agus Dwi Putranto during a press conference.
The first six bodies have been gathered from the AirAisia flight.
There were ten big objects seen 10 kilometers away from the location where Airbus A320-200 was last captured by radar. Some of the objects resembled suitcases, buoys, debris and a body.
Earlier on Tuesday, AirAsia announced its intention to fly relatives of passengers over the patch of ocean where the aircraft is believed to have crashed.
Acting director general of air transportation at the transportation ministry, Djoko Murjatmodjo, said that officials are checking if the objects found are from the aircraft though based on the size and coloring of the debris is likely to be part of the missing jet.
At least 30 ships, 15 aircraft and seven helicopters from Singapore, Malaysia and Australia are searching for the plane, whereas aircraft from Thailand are planned to join the search. The search area has been widened.
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