TNI Allows AirAsia Victims Families to Participate Rescue Mission

Liputan6.com, Pangkalan Bun - Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Commander General Moeldoko shares his most profound condolences to the victims their families of the recently missing AirAsia QZ8501. The low-fare carrier carrying 162 passengers has lost contact with air traffic controller resulting with victims’ families’ continuous grief.

Although there has not yet been any confirmation about the condition of the other passengers who are believed still scattered around the ocean, there is little hope that they survive as it is particularly difficult to stay alive for 9 days without drink and food supplies.
 
To accommodate victim’s families curiosity, Moeldoko assures them by instructing his men to find the remaining AirAsia QZ8501 passengers. Forces deployed have ignored their own safety and lives as they try their best to find the remaining victims.

Moeldoko asks the families of the victims to trust his men and also allow for any individual who are willing to help the armed forces endeavour to find them. He also facilitates the families by allowing them to spread flowers all over the site where the crash was expected to occur.

"I view this issue from the humanitarian perspective. If the family wants to, then TNI may carry them from Surabaya to Pangkalan Bun. We will take them to the location where the plane went missing. Spread flowers, perhaps with them coming here, it could help ease the pain a little," Moeldoko explained as he visited the Crisis Centre Post at the Police Headquarter in east Java, Monday (5/1/2014).

Families who wish to do this will be flying using 2 Hercules Airplanes which have been provided. To go directly into the location, families may use the Indonesian warship that is now already at Pangkalan Bun.

"Technically, we gather families of victims, take them to Juanda. We want them to see how we work and how difficult it is to find them. As we arrived on the location then they can throw flowers out in the open sea where the aircraft was last seen," he concluded.

AirAsia flight QZ8501 bound for Singapore departed from Juanda Airport in Surabaya at 05.20 am local time. The plane that should have landed in Changi Airport, Singapore at 08.30 am local time went missing as it lost contact with the Air Traffic Controller at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta Indonesia. (Akp/Tnt)