7 bodies recovered in AirAsia plane search operation

People carry the coffin containing victim of AirAsia flight QZ8501 to the Indonesia Air Bus Boeing aircraft at Iskandar Air Base, in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, Dec. 31, 2014. As many as seven corpses have been pulled out from the seas in search and rescue operation of AirAsia plane in Indonesia, rescue officials said here on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Veri Sanovri)

SURABAYA, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 31-- As many as seven corpses have been pulled out from the seas in search and rescue operation of AirAsia plane in Indonesia, rescue officials said here on Wednesday.

Head of Search and Rescue Office in East Java province Moch. Hernanto said that two out of the seven bodies were already moved to the nearest evacuation base in Pangkalan Bun of Central Kalimantan province. While the rest remained in an Indonesian rescuer ship at sea, as poor weather hampered the ship to bring the bodies to the evacuation base, he said.

"Five bodies are still in KRI rescuer ship and two others are in Pangkalan Bun now," he told Xinhua by phone in Surabaya.

The two bodies are being sent to a police hospital in Surabaya city for identification, he said.

Poor weather and huge waves still hampered the search and rescue operation for finding the victims of AirAsia plan that lost contact on Sunday, said Hernanto.

As many as 162 people were on board flight QZ8501 of the budget airline en route from Indonesia's Surabaya city to Singapore.