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More debris, bodies found in Sulawesi waters

A joint search and rescue team (SAR) is still scouring waters off Majene regency, West Sulawesi, to find bodies and fragments of wreckage from the AirAsia plane that crashed into the Karimata Strait in Central Kalimantan on Dec

Andi Hajramurni (The Jakarta Post)
Makasar
Tue, February 3, 2015 Published on Feb. 3, 2015 Published on 2015-02-03T09:30:09+07:00

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joint search and rescue team (SAR) is still scouring waters off Majene regency, West Sulawesi, to find bodies and fragments of wreckage from the AirAsia plane that crashed into the Karimata Strait in Central Kalimantan on Dec. 28, 2014.

The SAR team had recovered seven bodies as of Monday in waters off West Sulawesi and South Sulawesi '€” hundreds of kilometers away from the crash site. They have been airlifted to Surabaya for identification.

On Sunday, a body was found not far from the beach in Tubo Sendana district, Majene regency, West Sulawesi. A seaweed farmer found the body, but it was no longer intact. It was believed to be that of a child, but its gender and identity remain unclear.

It was airlifted to Surabaya in order to determine its identity and whether it was actually a victim of AirAsia flight QZ8501.

Residents also found fragments believed to be AirAsia plane wreckage, such as fragments of a seat, wall and fiber, as well as a box with an antenna and the words '€œEmergency Locator Transmitter'€ printed on it.

'€œFishermen found them along the coast in Mamuju regency. However, the ELT is no longer functioning,'€ said Mamuju National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) station head Muhammad Rizal on Monday.

The plane fragments and items found by fishermen were brought to the joint SAR station in Majene regency. They will be transported to Makassar and then flown to Surabaya.

'€œWe have handed them to the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) for analysis and to make sure whether the ELT was part of the ill-fated plane,'€ said Makassar Basarnas head Roki Azikin.

Earlier, a wall fragment and a bag holding a cell phone and passport under the name of an AirAsia passenger were found. The objects were sent to Surabaya.

Roki said the Basarnas would continue the search. It has been extended from Majene to Mamuju, as well as to Pinrang and Parepare in South Sulawesi.

In another development, a dive team recovered seven bodies from the Karimata Strait sea floor on Monday morning.

'€œWe saw seven bodies inside the plane wreckage. We have transferred them to the KN SAR Pacitan vessel. We will retrieve three other bodies in the next dive,'€ said dive coordinator Rendra Hertiadhi, as quoted by kompas.com.

Earlier on Sunday, a body was also taken from the sea by the KN Pacitan.

According to Rendra, the wrecked condition of the plane has hampered divers from retrieving the bodies. '€œWe faced difficulty in recovering a body as it was twisted in wires,'€ said Rendra.

The KN SAR Pacitan and the KN SAR Purworejo, owned by Basarnas, are currently operating in the Karimata Strait.

A total of 26 professional divers from various units are on standby on the vessels. The KN SAR Pacitan serves as the main command ship in the Basarnas'€™ extended operation, which was reactivated on Jan. 30. The vessel is equipped with side-scan sonar. Divers are also equipped with underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV).

At least 78 bodies have been recovered and 64 of them have been identified since the recovery mission began.

In its findings, the KNKT said co-pilot Remi Emmanuel Plesel was in control of AirAsia flight QZ8501 before it rapidly climbed and then stalled, while Capt. Iriyanto, an experienced former fighter pilot, was serving in a monitoring role at the time of the crash.

No cause for the crash has been determined, but officials have said that weather likely played a role.

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