Indonesia halts search for missing AirAsia flight QZ8501

Family of passengers onboard AirAsia flight QZ8501 react at a waiting area in Juanda International Airport, Surabaya. Rescuers scouring the Java Sea for a missing AirAsia plane with 162 aboard halted their search at nightfall. – Reuters pic, December 28, 2014.Rescuers scouring the Java Sea for the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 plane with 162 aboard halted their search at nightfall today, Indonesia's Transport Ministry said.

"We ended at 5.30pm (6.30pm Malaysian time) because it was getting dark. The weather was also not too good as it was getting really cloudy," ministry official Hadi Mustofa told AFP.

"Tomorrow, we will begin at 7am, or even earlier than that if the weather is good."

Reuters quoted Hadi Mustofa of the Indonesian Transport Ministry as saying that flight QZ8501 lost contact with Jakarta at 6.17am local time. The aircraft was reported to have requested an “unusual” route.

Flight QZ8501 had asked to fly at a higher altitude of 38,000 feet from its original 32,000 feet to avoid clouds.

AirAsia Indonesia, on Twitter, confirmed that flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore has lost contact with the air traffic control at 7.24am today.

The flight was carrying 155 passengers on board, including 16 children and one infant, as well as seven crew members.

The passengers comprise 149 Indonesians, three South Koreans, one Singaporean, one Malaysian and one Briton.

The seven crew members consisted of two pilots, four crew members and a technician. The first officer was French while the pilot and the rest were all Indonesians.

The airline has set up an emergency call centre for family or friends of those on board the aircraft at +62 21 2985 0801.

Updated information will also be posted on AirAsia's special QZ8501 website, crisis.airasia.com. – AFP