JAKARTA: An Indonesian warship recovered more than 40 bodies from the sea in the search for the AirAsia jet, a navy spokesman told AFP.
"Based on the navy radio, it has been reported that the warship Bung Tomo has retrieved 40 bodies and the number is growing. They are very busy now," Manahan Simorangkir said.
Earlier, it was reported that the SAR team has found six bodies.
EARLIER REPORT: Several bodies found floating in waters where the Indonesian AirAsia flight went missing have been retrieved.
Officials who got off a helicopter in Pangkalan Bun, Surabaya confirmed this.
Debris spotted during an aerial search for Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ8501 is from the missing plane, Indonesia's director general of civil aviation told AFP.
"For the time being it can be confirmed that it's the AirAsia plane and the transport minister will depart soon to Pangkalan Bun," Djoko Murjatmodjo said.
"Based on the observation by search and rescue personnel, significant things have been found such as a passenger door and cargo door. It's in the sea, 100 miles (160 kilometres) southwest of Pangkalan Bun," he said, referring to the town in Central Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo.
Indonesian aerial searchers earlier today spotted items resembling an emergency slide and plane door in the sea as they hunted for traces of the Indonesia AirAsia plane which disappeared Sunday in a storm over the Java Sea with 162 people on board.--AFP