Search plane spots 'shadow' on seabed believed to be AirAsia jet

[JAKARTA] An air force plane on Tuesday spotted a "shadow" on the seabed believed to be the missing AirAsia jet, Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency chief said.

"God blessed us today," Bambang Soelistyo told a press conference.

"At 12:50 the air force Hercules found an object described as a shadow at the bottom of the sea in the form of a plane," he said.

Mr Soelistyo said the search was now being concentrated on the location where the "shadow" and debris had been found, around 160 kilometres (100 miles) southwest of the town of Pangkalan Bun in Central Kalimantan on Borneo island.

"All elements in the areas and search and rescue personnel will be moved to the location," he said.

"Their job is to find and evacuate all objects or passengers' bodies," he said.

"I will make sure that all of them will be brought to Pangkalan Bun, the closest airstrip from the object's location," he said.

AFP