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Body parts, aircraft debris found in Pinrang waters
Local fishermen found two body parts and aircraft debris floating in waters off Pinrang regency, South Sulawesi, on Wednesday
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ocal fishermen found two body parts and aircraft debris floating in waters off Pinrang regency, South Sulawesi, on Wednesday. The body parts -- two leg bones -- are suspected to belong to passengers from AirAsia flight QZ8501 that crashed into the Karimata Strait in Central Kalimantan on Dec. 28.
A joint search and rescue (SAR) team in Pinrang regency reported that the body parts were found by fishermen in two different but parallel locations in Suppa district, Pinrang, or around 950 kilometers from the AirAsia crash site.
Pinrang SAR team member Fauzan Mahmud said the first body part to be found was a left leg bone that was still covered by a sock.
'This body part was found by a fisherman not far from the beach around 8 a.m. local time,' he said.
Around 10 a.m., another fisherman found a right leg still wearing an Adidas brand sport shoe, off Wiringtasi village beach in Suppa.
'The right leg part found at Wiringtasi beach this morning is the pair to a leg part we found on Tuesday. Both of the legs wore a pair of black-colored sport shoes with a similar brand name -- Adidas -- and size,' said Fauzan. The two legs were found in two locations at a distance of around 15 kilometers apart.
He said the two body parts found on Wednesday were taken to Bhayangkara Hospital in Makassar and later flown to Surabaya for identification.
Fauzan said the fishermen also found a yellow-colored floatation jacket and a small oxygen tube. A white board around 1 x 1 meter in size was also discovered in Pinrang waters. It was suspected that the debris was part of the entrance door of the aircraft's pilot cockpit as it was emblazoned with a sign 'no entrance for unauthorized persons'.
The National Search and Rescue Agency's (Basarnas) Makassar chapter head, Roki Azikin, said the joint SAR team was still carrying out the search operation in Majene waters before moving north, namely to Mamuju in West Sulawesi, as well as to Pinrang and Pare-pare waters in the south.
'We will continue to carry out our search operations in Majene waters and its surrounding areas. Currently, we're focused on the southern areas, Pinrang and Pare-pare,' said Roki. (ebf)(++++)
