Fire detected near AirAsia QZ8501 search zone
Search and rescue teams looking for the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 today received reports of a fire at an island within the search zone where the plane disappeared three days ago.
News channels CNN and CBS reported that two aircraft were deployed to the scene to further investigate whether the fire was connected to the lost Airbus A320-200 which had 162 people on board.
The Indonesia AirAsia flight had left Surabaya for Singapore when it disappeared in bad weather on Sunday.
BBC reported that Indonesian officials were now sending teams to investigate the reports of smoke being detected on the island.
The head of Indonesia's search and rescue officials in Banka Belitung province told the BBC today they were deploying teams to investigate reports of "billowing smoke" on Long Island, just south of Belitung island, inside the search zone.
Andriandi said the smoke was spotted on Monday by a Chinese television crew, about 47km from Manggar in East Belitung.
"There is a possibility that it might be from the missing AirAsia plane but we are still doing further verification.”
Experts have cautioned the smoke could be unrelated to the plane. Reports of a possible oil slick spotted in the seas off Pulau Belitung yesterday turned out to be reefs just below the surface.
Indonesian officials would also be speaking to two fishermen who had reported hearing a loud bang on Sunday, but Bambang Soelistyo, the head of Indonesia's search-and-rescue agency, said the authorities have yet to detect any signal from the plane.
On Monday, he said the aircraft, carrying 137 adult passengers, 17 children and one infant, along with two pilots and five crew members, was likely at the bottom of the sea.
Search for the missing Airbus passenger jet was now over 13 zones on both water and land, involving assets from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, United States, France and Australia. BBC reported that Thailand and China have also offered help.
At least 30 ships, 15 aircraft and seven helicopters joined the search operation when it resumed at 6am local time. It was reported that US destroyer USS Sampson was on its way to the zone. – December 30, 2014.
