Indonesia to continue AirAsia search operation

Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) Chairman Bambang Soelistyo said on Wednesday that an operation to search bodies and wreckage from crashed AirAsia Flight QZ8501 would continue despite the end of military's participation in the mission.

Bambang told a press conference at the BASARNAS headquarters that the search operation would resume on Saturday, to be carried out by BASARNAS elements.

"We will give two days off for teams taking part in the operation as they have not taken a rest in one month. Besides that, the days off would be used to supply necessities for vessels and crews for the upcoming operation," Soelistyo said.

He pointed out that the pulling out of the military from the operation would not weaken the capabilities of search teams.

The main focus of the multinational operation joined by Indonesia, Australia, the United States, Russia, China, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea was aimed at recovering more bodies after two black boxes and the tail section of the Airbus A320-200 were retrieved earlier this month.

The search operation started on Dec. 28 when the Singapore- bound plane crashed into the Java Sea amid bad weather 40 minutes after its takeoff from Indonesia's city of Surabaya in East Java.

As of now, 70 bodies of a total of 162 people onboard the ill- fated flight have been recovered.