PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- A Singaporean Super Puma helicopter brought in on Sunday a newly-recoverd body and a piece of alleged debris to Indonesia's AirAsia search command post.
A statement released by Singapore's Ministry of Defense said its RSS Persistence navy ship found a body from the crash site at 7:58 a.m. local time and brought it to the ship at 8.46 a.m.
Besides the body bag, personnel of the Indonesian National Search and Rescue (BASARNAS) unloaded from the chopper two large objects wrapped with silver covers from the helicopter, which are allegedly debris of the plane that crashed in Java Sea on Dec. 28.
The body was rushed to Imanuddin hospital in downtown Pangkalan Bun for brief identification and stored there before being transported to Surabaya.
The latest body delivered by the Singaporean helicopter makes the number of bodies sent to the evacuation command post on Sunday reached four.
As of the 8th day, the command post has received 34 bodies from multinational teams taking part in the search operation, in which 30 of them had been transferred to Surabaya for further process.
Reports said that as of Sunday, five large objects have been detected by the multinational search team.
However, heavy weather engulfing the crash site has made the team canceled moves to descend undersea cameras and divers to observe closer into the detected objects.
It is believed that bodies of the ill-fated plane were still trapped in their seats as the plane went down amid the severe weather.
AirAsia QZ 8501 plummeted down to sea between Java and Kalimantan on Dec. 28 after losing contact with the Jakarta Air Traffic Control.
A report issued by Indonesian Climatology and Meteorology agency (BMKG) said severe weather triggered the crash of the plane enroute from Surabaya to Singapore.
The plane allegedly encountered storm cloud that made it suffered from "engine loss" due to icing phenomenon after entered the storm cloud.
Air Asia QZ 8501 carried 162 people onboard when the crash occurred.
JAKARTA, Jan.4 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia search and rescue teams have located a fifth large object on the seabed, agency chief Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo said on Sunday. Full story
JAKARTA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Weather is a factor triggering the crash of AirAsia QZ8501 flight with 162 people on board into Java sea a week ago, said Indonesia's meteorological department. Full story
