Man holding out hope for girlfriend on flight QZ8501
Maria Florentina Widodo, one of the passengers on the AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 which went missing yesterday was returning to Singapore after spending time with her family in Surabaya, Indonesia, Bernama reported.
"She was supposed to be back here (Singapore) yesterday after meeting her family.
"I'm still shocked with the news on the missing flight and am going to Surabaya now to get the latest development on the matter," said her Singaporean boyfriend, identified as Andy Paul Chen by The Straits Times, at the Changi Airport.
He was approached by reporters before going into the waiting room for relatives and friends of passengers on flight QZ8501.
Chen was accompanied by his parents and looked to be in shock, reported The Straits Times.
A report in The Straits Times said Maria, from Indonesia, is a 26-year-old biology teacher at Singapore's Hwa Chong Institution (HCI).
Maria, who is affectionately known to family and friends as Tina, teaches A-level biology at the school. Her name is listed as No. 135 on the passenger list issued by the airline on Sunday.
Maria and Chen were both from the National University of Singapore, and were members in the university's guitar ensemble, The Straits Times reported.
Widodo is said to have graduated from the National Institute of Education last year.
Chen took to Facebook on Sunday to inform friends and family members that Maria was among the passengers on board the missing aircraft.
Maria's father, who is named as FY Widodo on Facebook, also posted a photo of himself and his daughter on Facebook.
Meanwhile, an agent of a maid supplying agency, who declined to be identified, said Yuni Astutik, 40, from Ponorogo, Indonesia, was one of the passengers on the flight, Bernama reported.
He said the woman returned home to Surabaya last month.
"I was asked to come here (Changi Airport) by her employer to hand over several documents on the maid for the Singapore Manpower Ministry," he added. – December 30, 2014.
