Search for AirAsia black box closes in as pings are heard
Officials leading the search for the black box of AirAsia flight QZ8501 say they have detected ‘pings’ in the Java Sea.
According to the BBC, divers have been sent to investigate the pings, which were heard near where search teams found the plane’s tail.
It is believed the black box could have been separated from the rear of the plane.
The Airbus A320-200 aircraft, flying from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore, went missing on 28 December with 162 people on board.
More bodies have been found as part of the search operation, bringing the total to 47.
AirAsia has confirmed that it will pay 1.25 billon rupiah (£65,300) in compensation for each victim lost, the statutory amount required under Indonesian law.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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