China ready to join search for missing AsiaAir flight

China is ready to send aircraft and vessels to join the search and rescue work for missing AsiaAir flight QZ8501, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

China has told Indonesia that it is willing to provide other assistance as needed, said spokeswoman Hua Chunying in a statement.

According to an earlier Xinhua report, Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency said on Monday that the plane with 162 people on board may have fallen to the bottom of the sea, 24 hours after it lost contact with air traffic control en route from Indonesia to Singapore.

If the projection is true, Indonesia must cooperate with other countries to bring the wreckage to the surface, said Indonesian search and rescue chief Bambang Soelistyo.