Sonar Spots AirAsia Wreckage on Seafloor

As bad weather sends wreckage drifting up to 30 miles
By Elizabeth Armstrong Moore,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 31, 2014 4:30 AM CST
Updated Dec 31, 2014 7:58 AM CST
AirAsia Flight 8501: Sonar Spots Wreckage on Sea Floor
Relatives of passengers of missing AirAsia Flight 8501 react upon seeing the news on TV about the findings of bodies on the waters near the site where the jetliner disappeared, Dec. 30, 2014.   (AP Photo/Trisnadi)

A day after debris was first spotted, Indonesian searchers have confirmed that sonar equipment has detected wreckage from AirAsia Flight QZ8501 at the bottom of the sea—though whether the plane is in one piece or broken up remains to be seen, reports CNN. The wreckage was found between 60 and 120 miles from the plane's last known location over the Java Sea, and the bodies of six more men and women—one of whom was wearing a flight attendant's uniform—had been recovered as of late yesterday, officials said. Other news:

  • Though the wreckage has been located, victims' grieving families are growing frustrated with the recovery and identification process, reports Sky News. "I have so many precious memories that are gone," says one woman who lost five family members. "But I cannot start to grieve properly until we can hold proper funerals."
  • AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes told reporters he hoped that the families would have "at least some closure."
  • In spite of heavy winds, rain, and 6-foot waves, searchers are continuing to look for more bodies and plane parts. But the weather is causing the wreckage to drift—by a lot, reports the AP. "It seems all the wreckage found has drifted more than 30 miles from yesterday's location," says the search and rescue coordinator on Borneo island in the closest town to the site. "We are expecting those bodies will end up on beaches."
(More AirAsia stories.)

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