Search area for 
crash jet 
expanded

Strong currents forced Indonesia to expand the search area for the crashed AirAsia plane yesterday, as rough seas and bad weather moved debris and made it difficult to reach suspected chunks of the fuselage on the ocean floor.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Jan 2015, 16:24 BST

With only 37 bodies recovered since Flight 8501 crashed on December 28, there are also concerns that it will become harder to find the remaining victims.

“Time is of the essence,” said the National Search and Rescue Agency’s director of operation, Suryadi B Supriyadi. “But it seems like it is hard to beat the weather.”

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The search operation will expand by about 71 square miles (185 sq km), search and rescue chief Henry Bambang Soelistyo said.

Indonesia has suffered a string of accidents in recent years. It deregulated its aviation industry in the 1990s, and dozens of new carriers have made air travel affordable for the first time for many in the world’s fourth most populous nation.

Experts say poor maintenance, rule-bending and a shortage of trained personnel are largely to blame. Infrastructure has also failed to keep pace with exploding demand.

The country’s transportation ministry launched a crackdown yesterday after it was discovered that Flight 8501 did not have a permit to fly between Surabaya in Indonesia and Singapore on the day of the crash. The ministry suspended several officials, including the airport operator and those who were in the control tower.

All AirAsia flights on that route also have been cancelled, pending an investigation.

Related topics:Indonesia