Divers try to reach AirAsia wreck site

Associated Press

PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia

Divers were grappling with light rain and rolling waves today as they tried to reach what is believed to be the fuselage of AirAsia Flight 8501, resting on the ocean floor near three other large objects.

So far, only 30 bodies have been recovered from last week’s crash, and officials believe many of the remaining 132 passengers and crew are strapped to their seats inside the plane, said National Searh and Rescue deputy chief Tatang Zainudin.

“We are racing with time and weather in running this mission,” he said, as early morning clear skies slowly became overcast.

The plane went down in the Java Sea last Sunday, halfway into a two-hour flight from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, to Singapore. Minutes before losing contact, the pilot told air-traffic control that he was approaching threatening clouds but was denied permission to climb to a higher altitude because of heavy air traffic.

What caused the disaster remains unclear, but Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency released a report, saying “Flight 8501 appears to have been trapped in bad weather that would have been difficult to avoid.”