BEIJING, Dec. 30 -- The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has deployed the frigate Huangshan to join the search operation for missing AirAsia flight QZ8501, a statement from the PLA navy said Tuesday.

According to the statement, the frigate has reached waters in the southern part of the South China Sea.

The officers and sailors on board the frigate carried out warm-up rescue drills in spite of unfavorable conditions during the journey, including high waves, the statement said.

The PLA navy is preparing more forces for the rescue efforts to make sure they can reach the search zone in a timely way, the statement added.

The AirAsia flight, which set off from Surabaya to Singapore, lost contact with air traffic control on Sunday morning, with 162 people on board.