Bodies spotted in Indonesian waters ending mystery of missing plane

Searchers spotted six bodies off Borneo island on Tuesday, about 10 miles from the last known coordinates of AirAsia Flight 8501, which had been missing since Sunday.

The airliner carrying 162 people from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore crashed into the Java Sea about halfway through the flight, launching an international search effort. Nearly all passengers and crew were Indonesians.

Television images showed rescue workers lowered on ropes from helicopters to retrieve the bodies.

A crew member on an Indonesian Maritime Surveillance plane looks out the window during a search for AirAsia's Flight QZ8501, north of Bangka island on Dec. 30. Photo by Darren Whiteside/Reuters

A crew member on an Indonesian Maritime Surveillance plane looks out the window during a search for AirAsia’s Flight QZ8501, north of Bangka island on Dec. 30. Photo by Darren Whiteside/Reuters

National Search and Rescue Director SB Supriyadi said he also could see wreckage in the clear and relatively shallow waters, down about 65 to 100 feet.

Other debris located, including a life jacket and emergency exit door, was brought to the nearest town, Pangkalan Bun. The airplane’s cockpit voice and flight data recorders have yet to be found.

The last communication from the pilots was about bad weather in the area. They sought permission to increase their altitude to fly above threatening clouds, but were denied due to heavy air traffic.

It was not clear if weather was the cause of the crash. The jet issued no distress signal before it disappeared off radar.

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