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| Undated file photo shows AirAsia aircraft on the tarmac of an airport. AirAsia said on Dec. 28, 2014 in a statement that its flight QZ8501 from Surabaya of Indonesia to Singapore had lost contact with air traffic control at 07:24 in the morning (2324 Dec. 27 GMT). The A320-200 had 155 people. (Xinhua) |
JAKARTA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- An AirAsia passenger plane with 161 people on board lost contact with ground control Sunday after departing from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore.
An official with the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation told a press conference at Jakarta airport said among the people on board, there are 155 passengers, two pilots and four air stewards.
The QZ8501 flight lost communication 42 minutes after taking off at 5:35 a.m. in staff at Indonesia's Surabaya airport. The plane is scheduled to land in Singapore at 8:30 a.m. local time.
Among the passengers, there are 149 Indonesians,three South Koreans, one Singaporean, one British and one Malaysian, local media quoted Indonesian Transportation Ministry as saying.
The Malaysia-based AirAsia confirmed its plane was missing.
"At the present time we unfortunately have no further information regarding the status of the passengers and crew members on board, but we will keep all parties informed as more information becomes available," the airline said.
The incident comes at the end of a disastrous year for Malaysian aviation. Malyasia Airlines Flight MH370, with 239 people on board, disappeared in March after diverting from its Kuala Lumpur-Beijing course. No trade of the jetliner has been found despite tremendous search efforts.
Months later MH 17 went down in July in the war-born eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 on board.
Related:
AirAsia confirms flight QZ8501 lost contact
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- AirAsia said Sunday in a statement that it confirmed flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore had lost contact with air traffic control at 07:24 this morning.
It said that there was no further information regarding the status of the passengers and crew members on board. The aircraft was an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC, it added. Full story
Waiting area, facilities set up for relatives of affected passengers at S'pore airport
SINGAPORE, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- People were seen to be brought into the waiting area of Singapore's Changi Airport hours after an AirAsia flight lost contact with air traffic authorities on Sunday morning.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said that Indonesian authorities have activated search and rescue operations and that the Singapore Rescue Coordination Center has also been activated and has offered help to Indonesian authorities. Full story
Indonesia sends plane, vessels to survey AirAsia's lost contact location
JAKARTA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- An Indonesian senior official said on Sunday that vessels and plane have been sent to locations allegedly being the places where the AirAsia plane had lost contact with Indonesia's Air Traffic Control (ATC).
Speaking at a press conference held in Jakarta airport, Djoko Murjatmodjo, director general of air transport at the Transportation Ministry, said a plane from national calibration agency and several vessels from national search and rescue agency (Basarnas) have been deployed to undertake surveillance on the suspected locations. Full story
