Australia To Help In Search For Missing AirAsia Aircraft

MELBOURNE, Dec 29 (Bernama) -- The Australian Government is standing by to assist Indonesia, where required, as the search continues for a missing AirAsia Indonesia flight. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told the Channel 9 "Today" programme Monday morning that Prime Minister Tony Abbott had spoken to Indonesian President Joko Widodo Sunday afternoon and a Royal Australian Air Force P3 Orion was on standby if required. She said that while no Australian nationals were on board the missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501, Canberra was looking for any details of potential dual-nationals or permanent residents of Australia who were travelling on the plane. "At this stage, we don't have that detail, but we are accessing the manifest from the authorities," Bishop said. Those on board the missing flight comprise 155 Indonesians, three South Koreans, a Singaporean, a Malaysian, a Briton and a French. Flight QZ8501 went missing while carrying 155 passengers and seven crew from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore Sunday morning. Bishop said a recent theory that the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 was shot down by the United States had "no substance at all" and that it was "just speculation". "What we need to do is find the wreckage of MH370 and that is still underway. Until the plane is located, any theories about MH370 or any theories about this AirAsia flight are just speculation," she said. -- BERNAMA