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AirAsia search plagued by bad weather

January 4, 2015

Divers searching for wreckage of a crashed AirAsia jet off Borneo have been hindered by zero visibility amid bad weather conditions. But another object believed to be part of the plane has been detected.

https://p.dw.com/p/1EEj3
Indonesian search and rescue members and police stand on the deck of SAR ship KN Purworejo during a search operation for passengers of AirAsia QZ8501 in the Java Sea January 3, 2015. REUTERS/Beawiharta
Image: Reuters/Beawiharta

Indonesian navy divers sent to investigate debris of crashed AirAsia Flight QZ8501 lying on the sea floor off the island of Borneo have been forced to turn back due to zero visibility, the search chief said on Sunday.

"Today we sent two divers with the aim of reaching the biggest object, but visibility on the sea floor was zero and it was covered with mud," Bambang Sulistyo said, adding that the search with divers had been suspended.

He said a remotely operated undersea vehicle would be sent down instead.

More than 90 divers from Indonesia and Russia are waiting to join in the operation, which is taking place in relatively shallow 30-meter (98-foot) waters. The search has been hampered by persistent bad weather, with high winds and heavy seas.

Officials say five pieces of wreckage believed to be from the plane have now been detected on the bed of the Java Sea where the Airbus A320-200 crashed a week ago. 162 people were on board the flight from Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, to Singapore.

Thirty-four bodies have so far been recovered, but officials say they believe the bodies of most of the victims could still be strapped to their seats in the fuselage.

Cause still unknown

Searchers are also trying to locate the cockpit voice and flight data recorders, which it is hoped will provide information on the cause of the crash.

Indonesia's meteorological agency, BMKG, has said bad weather was likely a major factor.

"The flight document provided by the BMKG shows fairly worrying weather conditions for the aircraft at cruising level on the chosen route," the agency said in a report.

Shortly before the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers, just 40 minutes after take-off, the pilot had requested permission to climb to a higher altitude because of threatening clouds, but was told not to do so owing to heavy air traffic at the time. No distress call was sent by the plane.

The crash is the first fatal accident suffered by the airline.

tj/ksb (Reuters, dpa, AP)