Another Asian airline loses plane in midair carrying more than 150 passengers
Citizens across the globe were stunned when Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing earlier this year. Late last night, more devastating news arrived when an AirAsia plane headed to Singapore reportedly lost contact with air traffic control.
According to a statement from AirAsia, Flight 8501 lost contact at 7:24 a.m. local time near Belitung Island, Indonesia. The flight, which carries 155 passengers, two pilots and five crew members, departed from the Indonesian city of Surabaya at 5:30 a.m. local time and was scheduled to land in Singapore at 8:30 a.m. local time.
Among the 162 people on board are 157 Indonesians, three South Koreans, one Singaporean and one Malaysian.
CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam believes poor weather may have factored into the plane’s disappearance.
“We still had lines of very heavy thunderstorms when the plane was flying,” Van Dam said. “But keep in mind, turbulence doesn’t necessarily bring down airplanes.”
According to Singapore’s Civil Aviation Authority, Singapore activated its navy and air force in order to help Indonesian authorities search for the missing plane.
– Matt @RRprez
