QZ8501: Debris Spotted During Aerial Search - AFP

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- Debris of what may have been from the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 has been spotted during an aerial search Tuesday, AFP reported. According to the international news agency, an AFP photographer on the search flight that spotted the possible debris said he had seen objects in the sea resembling a life raft, life jackets and long orange tubes. It further reported, that an Indonesian air force official Agus Dwi Putranto meanwhile had also said that they had spotted about 10 big objects and many more small white-coloured objects which could not be photographed. "The position is 10 kilometres (six miles) from the location the plane was last captured by radar," Putranto said. Putranto had also displayed 10 photos of objects resembling a plane door, emergency slide, and a square box-like object, AFP reported. Flight QZ8501, an Airbus A320-200 carrying 162 people, had taken off at 5.20 am from Surabaya, Indonesia, on Sunday, and was scheduled to land at Singapore’s Changi Airport at 8.30 am the same day. It last contacted the Air Traffic Control at 6.12 am Indonesian time (7.12 am Malaysian time). Those on board the missing plane, comprise 155 Indonesians, three South Koreans, a Singaporean, a Malaysian, a Briton and a French. Meanwhile, the Indonesian news agency, Antara reported that the National Search and Rescue Unit (BASARNAS) had sent two units of its aircraft to the Pulau Tujuh waters, in Utara Bangka Tuesday following reports of the discovery of debris believed to be from the AirAsia Indonesia QZ8501 aircraft. Fishermen in the area were reported to have found a debris measuring four metres long and one metre wide on Monday night, said an official from BASARNAS, Sunarbowo Sandi, as quoted by the news portal Antaranews.com Tuesday. He said that the Indonesian National SAR had also sent all its available sea assets in Sector 10 to the location. -- BERNAMA