AirAsia Indonesia says search and rescue operations for the recovery of flight QZ8501 are currently focusing on the the crashed aircraft’s tail and flight data recorder.
The airline said search and rescue (SAR) operations led by Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) had located the tail of the aircraft on Wednesday.
However, efforts to salvage the tail of the aircraft have been hampered by swift underwater currents and limited visibility.
“The divers were only able to find more debris which is presumed to be the interior part of the aircraft and baggage compartment,” AirAsia Indonesia said in a statement on January 8.
“The tail part will be the main focus of the SAR operation and BASARNAS said that once the black box is found, the SAR team plans to lift the tail piece out from the water with the permission from Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT).”
QZ8501 crashed enroute from Surabaya to Singapore on December 28. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the Airbus A320 – registration PK-AXC – 42 minutes into the flight, which carried 162 people.
AirAsia Indonesia said the National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) had so far recovered 41 bodies from the crash site.
