Joint search underway in Indonesian waters for missing AirAsia plane

An international operation to locate the missing AirAsia plane has resumed on Monday near Bangka Belitung islands in the Java Sea with aircraft from Australia, Malaysia and Singapore joining the hunt. [Special coverage]

Sutono, a spokesman at the search and rescue command at Pangkalpinang airport, said searching efforts in waters between Bangka Belitung and West Kalimantan provinces were jointly carried out by Indonesian authorities and planes sent by Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.

"Indonesia engages 6 vessels from the Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Navy and Fishery and Maritime ministry. From the air, Indonesia dispatches 4 helicopters and 15 fixed-wing planes," Sutono told Xinhua on Monday.

"Singapore and Malaysia sent C-130 Hercules planes each. Meanwhile Australia sent 2 maritime patrol planes AP-3C Orion."

Areas combed by those planes and vessels were focused on five points in a large quadrant square perspective map that spans to the Indonesian waters near Singapore.

He said three points have been designated in the north side of the map, and the other two were located in the south part.

According to Sutono, search and rescue efforts in the north side are carried out by Indonesian vessels and planes, while foreign aircraft are tasked to comb the south part of the quadrant map.

Another senior officer said as of now the searching efforts have yet to find any significant clues.

"The searching efforts are much depended on weather. Should it be good, the searching can be conducted up to maximum level," Eko Prayitno from Bangka Belitung district military command told Xinhua.

Flight QZ8501 of the Malaysia-based AirAsia went missing Sunday morning soon after it took off from Surabaya in Indonesia's East Java province. The Singapore-bound Airbus A320-200 carried 155 passengers and seven crew members, including 16 children and an infant.

Foreign nationals aboard the plane were from Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, France and Britain.