AirAsia crash: Rescuers thought floating bodies were survivors

Jakarta, Dec 30: It was a case of hoping against hope as pilots searching for the AirAsia plane that went missing in the Java Sea two days back Tuesday mistook the bodies floating in the water as survivors who were waving for help. Tri Wibowo, a Hercules C-130 pilot, said he and his crew had a glimmer of hope that the passengers of the plane could be alive, The Independent reported. “We thought that the passengers were still alive and waved at us for help,” he told local news outlet kompas.com in an interview, which was cited by The Independent. “But when we approached closer (we saw) they were already dead,” the pilot said. The plane was flying over the wreckage of the AirAsia flight QZ8501 at around 11 a.m. Rescuers Tuesday spotted the wreckage of the ill-fated plane as well as bodies floating in the seawaters.