Indonesia military halts AirAsia plane recovery efforts

January 27, 2015 05:22 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 05:13 pm IST - PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia

Indonesia soldiers and rescue personnel put a coffin of a passenger of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 into the cargo compartment of a plane, in Pangkalan Bun.

Indonesia soldiers and rescue personnel put a coffin of a passenger of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 into the cargo compartment of a plane, in Pangkalan Bun.

Indonesia’s military has halted its recovery efforts for the crashed AirAsia plane, including attempts to locate bodies and raise the fuselage from the Java Sea.

Workers from the National Search and Rescue Agency, however, are continuing their search for 92 bodies that are still missing.

Rear Admiral Widodo said the military made its decision on Tuesday after four days of unsuccessful attempts to raise the fuselage. About 80 Navy divers struggled with strong currents and poor visibility while trying to lift the wreckage.

Rear Admiral Widodo, who heads the military’s search and rescue task force, apologised to the families of the victims for being unable to retrieve all the bodies.

AirAsia Flight 8501 was carrying 162 people when it crashed on December 28 en route from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore.

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