Searchers detect signals in AirAsia black box hunt

Jakarta/Singapore: Searchers on Sunday received signals believed to be emanating from the black box recorders of ill-fated AirAsia plane that crashed into the Java Sea two weeks ago with 162 people on board, Indonesian officials said.
The pings were detected over an area spanning from 1 km to 4 kms from the location of the jet’s rear.
The black box, crucial for unravelling the mystery of the crash, was not found inside the section nearly two weeks after the tragedy.

The 10-metre-long metal chunk, with the words “AirAsia” clearly visible across it, became the first major wreckage lifted off the seabed.
In his last communication, the pilot said he wanted to change course to avoid a storm. Then all contact was lost.

Only 48 bodies, including at least two strapped to their seats, have been found in the choppy waters.

Indonesia’s Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan assured the search to find the still untraced bodies would be funded by the State budget and the efforts would continue no matter how long it would take.