Missing AirAsia plane ‘at bottom of sea’

The Singapore-bound aircraft that went missing after losing contact with Indonesian air traffic control on Sunday is likely to be at the bottom of the sea.

Bambang Soelistyo, the head of Indonesia’s search-and-rescue agency, said the hypothesis was based on the co-ordinates of the plane when contact with it was lost.

“Based on the co-ordinates given to us and evaluation that the estimated crash position is in the sea, the hypothesis is the plane is at the bottom of the sea,” Soelistyo said at a news conference in Jakarta.

The search is continuing for the aircraft, a day after it disappeared with 162 people on board, but no trace has been found so far.

Many on board were travelling to see their families for the holiday season. The family members (pictured) have been in a pensive mood since the plane was declared missing.

Soelistyo further said Indonesia did not have “the tools”, required to retrieve the plane from the seabed, but that it is reaching out to other countries for help if necessary.

“Due to the lack of technology that we have, I have coordinated with our foreign minister so we will borrow from other countries which have offered. They are the UK, France and US,” he said.

Singapore, Malaysia and Australia have dispatched aircraft and ships to assist Indonesia in the search, which is centred on the Java Sea. The US has also said it was ready to assist.

Soelistyo said Indonesia was providing 12 ships, three helicopters and five military aircraft.

Malaysia was to deploy a C-130 plane, along with three ships, with Singapore lending a C-130 and Australia also providing help.

Indonesian officials said any ships in the area could help in the search.

Jusuf Kalla, Indonesia’s vice-president, told journalists that “even fishermen” were being asked to join in the search operation.

Tony Fernandes, AirAsia boss, who flew to Surabaya, the city where the incident happened,  said it was his “worst nightmare”.

“We are very devastated by what’s happened, it’s unbelievable,” he said.

AirAsia’s share price fell 7% in morning trading on Monday in Kuala Lumpur.

One-thirty-seven adults, 17 children and one infant were on the ill-fated plane. Most were Indonesians but also one UK national, a Malaysian, a Singaporean and three South Koreans.

Two pilots and five crew were also on board – one French, the others Indonesians.

On March 8, a Malaysia Airlines Flight heading for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, disappeared with 239 passengers on board.

The MH 370 plane lost contact with air traffic control less than an hour after takeoff.

No substantive information on the whereabouts of the plane have been provided till date.