AirAsia relatives in shock as Indonesian TV airs images of floating body

Surabaya Juanda International Airport was in chaos, dozens burst into hysterical wailing. At least two people fainted and were carried out to waiting ambulances, after Indonesian TV images of what appeared to be a dead body and aircraft debris floating in the Java Sea were seen by relatives of passengers from the missing AirAsia Flight QZ 8501, according to Times.

The Singapore-bound plane, which took off early Sunday morning with 162 passengers and crew on board and disappeared 42 minutes into the flight.

Official in charge of search says he is "95 percent" sure fresh sightings are from missing plane.

“As the search and rescue coordinator, I can 95 percent confirm [that this is] debris and objects from the plane,” said Basarnas chief Bambang Soelistyo, at a news conference just a short while earlier. “The five percent is simply because I haven’t seen personally seen them.”

He added that he was now dispatching divers to look for more debris in the area’s shallow waters.

The broadcasting of the images has provoked criticism, prompting a news anchor from TV One, a live news channel, to apologize to waiting relatives.

Source: Times