AirAsia plane missing in Indonesia with 162 aboard
Posted December 27, 2014 11:14 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
An AirAsia plane with 162 people on board has gone missing after taking off from Indonesia en route to Singapore, the airline confirms.
The Associated Press said 155 passengers and seven crew were on the plane.
In a statement posted on its Facebook page, AirAsia Indonesia said flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore lost contact with air traffic control at 7:24 a.m. local time on Sunday.
“At the present time we unfortunately have no further information regarding the status of the passengers and crew members on board, but we will keep all parties informed as more information becomes available,” the statement reads.
Most of the passengers were Indonesian. The airline says there were also three South Koreans, and one passenger each from Singapore and Malaysia.
Chief Executive of AirAsia Tony Fernandes says his thoughts are with the passengers.
Indonesian transport officials say the plane disappeared between the port town of Tanjung Pandan and Pontianak town on Borneo.
They said no distress signal was sent.
The airline and Indonesia’s air force are searching for the plane.
Singapore says it’s also mobilised its air force and navy to help.
The aircraft was an Airbus A320-200.
Search-and-rescue operations are underway and AirAsia has set up a hotline for family and friends of those who may have been on the aircraft.
For updates and more information, visit the AirAsia website.
With files from Reuters
