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Basarnas dispatches vessel for AirAsia search operation
The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Bangka Belitung says it has dispatched one vessel to search for AirAsia flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore, which was reported missing over the sea around East Belitung on Sunday
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he National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Bangka Belitung says it has dispatched one vessel to search for AirAsia flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore, which was reported missing over the sea around East Belitung on Sunday.
'We received information from Basarnas in Jakarta that contact had been lost with an AirAsia flight over Bangka Belitung waters at 6:17 a.m. local time. We then dispatched a vessel with a search and rescue team of 22 members to check the information,' Febi Imam Saputra, an information official at Basarnas Bangka Belitung, said as quoted by Antara news agency in Pangkalpinang on Sunday.
He said the Airbus 320 flight was suspected to have lost contact over an area located at 03.22.46 South and 108.50.07 East.
'If we look at the map, these coordinates refer to an area around 20 nautical miles from East Belitung,' said Febi.
He said the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) and the Bangka Belitung air and water police unit (Polrairud Babel) was participating in the search operation.
"TNI AL and Polairud Babel have dispatched one vessel each for the search operation,' said Febi. (ebf)
