National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) in the Bangka Belitung Province are worried that storms and large waves could hinder the search for the missing Air Asia flight QZ8501.
“Based on information we gathered from the BMKG (Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency), waves in the region could reach up to two meters in height, which could slow down our journey to the suspected crash site,” said Jhoni Supriadi, head of the Bangka Belitung Basarnas, as quoted by Kompas today.
The plane is thought to have landed or crashed in the coordinates 03.22.46 South and 108.50.07 East, in waters 80-100 nautical miles from Belitung Island.
Jhoni added that under normal weather conditions, the trip from Belitung to the suspected crash site would take four hours by sea. But under today’s weather conditions, it could take up to eight hours.
At the time of writing, Basarnas have deployed several search and rescue teams towards the suspected crash site.
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