An AirAsia flight that took off from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board has lost contact with air traffic control and is reported missing, according to local media.
AirAsia confirmed the news on its Twitter account. "AirAsia Indonesia regrets to confirm that QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore has lost contact at 07:24hrs this morning," it tweeted.
"At the present time we unfortunately have no further information regarding the status of the passengers and crew members on board, but we will keep all parties informed as more information becomes available. The aircraft was an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC. At this time, search and rescue operations are in progress and AirAsia is cooperating fully and assisting the rescue service," the airline said in a statement.
Indonesia's Metro TV also reported the development on Sunday.
Some reports says QZ 8501 had 155 people on board, including one Singaporean, one British, one Malaysian, three Koreans and 149 Indonesians, according to Indonesia's Transport Ministry.
If the plane is missing, it would be the second such incident this year after the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 went missing and is yet to be found.
AirAsia Indonesia regrets to confirm that QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore has lost contact at 07:24hrs this morning http://t.co/WomRQuzcPO
— AirAsia (@AirAsia) December 28, 2014
