NEW DELHI: India has put on standby three ships
and a maritime surveillance aircraft for assistance
in the search operation after an AirAsia flight with
162 people on board today went missing en route
from Indonesia to Singapore after losing contact
with air traffic controllers.
Indian Navy sources said one ship in Bay of
Bengal and another two in Andaman Sea have
been put on standby.
Along with these, a P-8I aircraft has also been
put on standby. The aircraft is used for maritime
reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare
operations.
"The assets have been put on standby in view of
the gravity of situation. They will be rushed into
service as and when any order is issued," the
sources said.
A Singaporean transport official said Flight
QZ8501 lost contact with Jakarta Air Traffic
Control just after 07:24 hours local time.
The aircraft was in the Indonesian Flight
Information Region (FIR), more than 200 nautical
miles southeast of the Singapore-Jakarta FIR
boundary, when contact was lost, Civil Aviation
Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said.
Contact with the plane was lost 42 minutes after
takeoff. No Indian national was on board.
