SAR RETRIEVES FIVE QZ8501 VICTIMS' BODIES FROM FUSELAGE

Jakarta, Jan 22 (Antara) - The National Search and Rescue (SAR) Agency has recovered the bodies of five victims of the crashed AirAsia QZ8501 flight from its fuselage resting on the seabed of Karimata Strait, Central Kalimantan Province. "We confirmed that five bodies had been retrieved and moved to the Banda Aceh Ship. Additionally, the team is still trying to retrieve another victim's body from the sea," Operational Director of the National SAR Agency First Admiral Supriyadi revealed here on Thursday. The SAR team is still checking the fuselage to look for bodies of other victims, which are believed to still be trapped inside the Airbus 320-200 fuselage. "We are still checking the fuselage carefully. Due to the strong waves and low visibility, we are yet to discover all the compartments of the fuselage," Supriyadi explained. By the 26th day of the search effort, the team has evacuated 59 bodies of the QZ8501 accident's victims. The SAR Agency has decided to lift the fuselage of the QZ8501 aircraft that crashed on Sunday (Dec. 28). The search team had earlier recovered the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). The process of lifting the fuselage is still being hampered by the turbulent weather and strong waves in Karimata Strait. The SAR team has decided to lift the fuselage using 12 floating balloons that will be attached to some parts by the special diving team. The Air Asia QZ8501, carrying 162 people, had gone missing on Sunday morning (Dec. 28) after losing contact with air traffic control on its way from Surabaya, East Java, to Singapore. Indonesia Air Asia flight QZ8501 lost contact after the pilot requested to climb to 38 thousand feet from 32 thousand feet to avoid stormy weather over the sea between Bangka Belitung and West Kalimantan. The aircraft was carrying 155 passengers and seven crew members. It took off from the Juanda International Airport in Surabaya at 5:36 a.m. local time and lost contact with the Jakarta air traffic control at 6:17 a.m. local time. The plane, piloted by Captain Iriyanto and First Officer (FO) Remi Emmanuel Plesel, was scheduled to arrive in Singapore, at 8:30 a.m. local time.