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AirAsia confirmed debris found in the Java Sea came from missing Flight 8501. Bodies were also recovered from the location just six miles from the plane's last communications with air-traffic control.
Indonesian air force CN295 crew members take part in a search and rescue operation for missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 over waters near Pangkalan, Central Kalimantan, on Dec. 30.(Photo: Bay Ismoyo, AFP/Getty Images)
SURABAYA, Indonesia — Officials have confirmed that debris found in Indonesian waters is from AirAsia Flight 8501 that vanished on Sunday, the airline said.
In a statement Tuesday, AirAsia Indonesia said the country's National Search and Rescue Agency confirmed the debris of the aircraft was found in the Karimata Strait between Sumatra, Java and Borneo, a large island shared among Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
Search and rescue operations are still in progress and the debris is still being investigated, the statement said.
Sunu Widyatmoko, AirAsia Indonesia's CEO, said in a statement issued by the airline: "We would like to extend our sincere sympathies to the family and friends of those on board QZ8501. Our sympathies also go out to the families of our dear colleagues."
AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes added: "I am absolutely devastated. This is a very difficult moment for all of us at AirAsia as we await further developments of the search and rescue operations but our first priority now is the wellbeing of the family members of those onboard QZ8501."
Twitter | @airasia
AirAsia on Twitter
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak tweeted: "On behalf of all Malaysians, I extend my deepest condolences to the families of those on Air Asia Indonesia QZ8501. We share your sorrow."
The announcement came as bodies were being recovered from the area where the flight disappeared.
On behalf of all Malaysians, I extend my deepest condolences to the families of those on Air Asia Indonesia QZ8501. We share your sorrow.
— Mohd Najib Tun Razak (@NajibRazak) December 30, 2014
Indonesian officials spotted the bodies about six miles from the plane's last communications with air-traffic control. Indonesian navy spokesman Manahan Simorangkir told Agence France-Presse that a reported 40 bodies had been retrieved by the warship Bun Tomo, and that the number is growing.
Malaysia's TV One showed live video of a body floating in the water near the Indonesian part of Borneo, causing some family members of passengers watching the live transmission at the crisis center at Surabaya's Juanda Airport to break down in tears.
At least three women were carried out on stretchers.
An Indonesian military aircraft earlier saw white, red and black objects about 105 miles south of Pangkalan Bun, a city on the south coast of Borneo. AirAsia planes are red and white.
National Search and Rescue Director SB Supriyadi told The Associated Press that from an aircraft above, he saw what appeared to be a life jacket and an emergency exit door. More wreckage could be seen beneath the water.
The search has focused on a 70-square-nautical-mile area between Belitung island, off Sumatra, and Borneo. The water in the busy shipping lane is about 150 feet deep.
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U.S. warship joining expanded search for AirAsia jet
Ifan Joko, 54, earlier said he was still hoping for a miracle. His brother, Charlie Gunawan, along with his wife, their three children and two other family members were traveling to Singapore on the plane to ring in the New Year.
"I know the plane has crashed, but I cannot believe my brother and his family are dead," he said, wiping a tear. "We still pray they are alive."
The Airbus A320, which took off from Surabaya, lost contact with air-traffic control around 7:24 a.m. Singapore time Sunday (6:24 p.m. ET Saturday), the airline said. Pilots had asked for permission to climb to avoid storm clouds, but six other aircraft were in the vicinity, so controllers temporarily denied their request. Minutes later, the plane vanished from radar screens without declaring an emergency.
Airbus, based in France, issued a statement Tuesday offering its sympathies to anyone affected by the loss of the plane.
The investigation is being led by the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee and will include the French investigative agency, BEA, for Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses, as the home country for the aircraft's design and manufacture.
"With safety as its prime concern, Airbus reaffirms its full commitment to provide all necessary technical assistance to the investigation authorities in order to establish the cause of this tragic accident," Airbus said in the statement.
The tragedy is the third commercial air disaster involving Malaysia-based airlines in the southeast Asia region this year. Mystery still surrounds Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared March 8 without a trace en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard. On July 17, another Malaysia Airlines craft was shot down over rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine while on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 people on board. AirAsia is based in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital.
In a separate incident Tuesday, Philippine officials said an AirAsia Zest plane with 159 passengers and crew members aboard overshot a runway in a central province after landing in windy weather from Manila.
Giovanni Hontomin, who is in charge of AirAsia Zest's operations, said crew members activated an emergency slide to help passengers disembark safely from the Airbus A320-200. There were no immediate reports of injuries and the plane remained stuck on a grassy area near the runway's end.
Domestic carrier AirAsia Zest is partly owned by AirAsia Philippines.
Onyanga-Omara reported from London. Contributing: The Associated Press; Jessica Estepa, USA TODAY in McLean, Va.
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