AFP is confirming that search and rescue operations for AirAsia flight QZ8501 have been suspended overnight.
The flight took off from the Juanda international airport at 5:20am and was supposed to arrive in Singapore at 8:30am.
The carrier says they have no further knowledge regarding the status of the passengers and crew members on board, but will keep all parties informed as it becomes available.
Earlier this afternoon, Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency in the Bangka Belitung Province said they were worried that storms and large waves could hinder the search for the missing Air Asia flight QZ8501.
According to Jhoni Supriadi, head of the Bangka Belitung Basarnas, 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.
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.
Over 160 people were on board. Passengers include one Singaporean (a two-year-old girl travelling with her British father), one Malaysian, three South Koreans, one UK national, and 149 Indonesians. The nationalities of the crew are one French and six Indonesians.
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