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          Bad Weather Complicates Search for AirAsia Victims, Wreckage

   by VOA News

   Indonesian authorities believe they have located the main body of the
   AirAsia jet that crashed in the Java Sea, as the search for victims was
   hampered by poor weather.

   Search and rescue agency officials said Wednesday waves of up to three
   meters, strong winds, and heavy rain are preventing a full air search
   effort at the crash site near the island of Borneo.

   Agency chief Bambang Soelistyo said officials were able to pull three
   more corpses from the relative shallow waters Wednesday, bringing the
   total number of bodies recovered to six.

   "Today, this morning, we found and retrieved three bodies - two male
   and a female wearing a stewardess uniform. As for the details, this is
   not our job. Up until now, we have recovered six bodies," said
   Soelistyo.

   None of the 162 passengers and crew on board the plane have been found
   alive.

   The first traces of the plane were discovered Tuesday, not far from
   where the Airbus A320 disappeared during a storm en route from the
   Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.

   Sonar images suggest the main body of the plane is lying upside down on
   the bottom of the sea, in an area officials say is only 30 to 50 meters
   deep.

   Investigators hope to determine the cause of the crash once divers
   locate and recover the plane's cockpit voice and flight data recorders.

   The destroyer USS Sampson is on the scene helping with the search. A
   second ship, the USS Forth Worth, is standing by in Singapore and will
   head to the crash site if needed.

   The White House said the United States sends its condolences to the
   families and loved ones, and stands by to provide Indonesia with all
   the help it needs.

   AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes has apologized to the families of the
   victims, saying that as head of the airline, he will not run away from
   his responsibilities. He said the company will provide immediate
   financial assistance to the families.

   AirAsia Flight 8501 was about half an hour into what was expected to be
   a two-hour flight when it disappeared from radar.

   Air traffic controllers denied the pilot's request to fly at a higher
   altitude to avoid the storm because there were other planes in the
   area. It tried to fly around the storm instead. The pilot gave no
   distress call before the plane disappeared.

   The passengers included 149 Indonesians, 3 South Koreans, and one each
   from Britain, Malaysia and Singapore.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/bad-weather-complicates-search-for-airasia-victims/2580100.html