QZ8501 The situation at Juanda International Airport Terminal 2 Crisis Centre near Surabaya in Java remained calm despite local and international media this evening reporting that search teams have sighted debris from AirAsia Indonesia QZ8501.
The situation at the centre, located about 40km from Surabaya, was controlled as hundreds of next-of-kin and family members continued to wait patiently for feedback from the authorities.
The chairperson of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) in Surabaya, M Hernanto, was seen giving a briefing, while employees of AirAsia Indonesia were seen consoling and comforting relatives of passengers of the ill-fated flight.
Words of comfort and pleas of "please be patient" were heard and relatives still appeared calm and composed, even though they were looking at images of the search area, with debris found telecast live over local television stations.
Some family members expressed the hope that the debris and fragments were not that of QZ8501.
So far, nothing has been verified by the Indonesian authorities.
Families confined to a special room
Attempts by Bernama to get any reaction from the next of kin and families on the report of debris sighting have not been successful as they were still confined in a special room at the crisis centre.
Local and international media had reported that at least 10 pieces of debris, including an emergency door, rafts and safety jackets, had been spotted at the search area at Pangkalan Bun, West Kalimantan.
The 320-200 Airbus with 162 passengers and crew, which departed from Surabaya at 5.35am on Sunday morning and was scheduled to arrive in Singapore at 8.20am, lost communication with Indonesian air traffic control towers from 7.24am.
A total of 155 of the passengers were Indonesian nationals.
- Bernama
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