An AirAsia flight travelling from Indonesia to Singapore has lost
contact with air traffic control with 162 people on board.
Flight QZ8501 lost contact at 07:24 (23:24 GMT), Malaysia-based
AirAsia tweeted.
Search and rescue operations are under way.
Malaysia's national carrier Malaysia Airlines has suffered two
disasters this year - flights MH370 and MH17 - but AirAsia has never
lost a plane.
Flight MH370 disappeared on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing
in March with 239 passengers and crew, and MH17 was shot down
over Ukraine in July, killing all 298 on board.
The AirAsia flight had been due to arrive in Singapore at 08:30
(00:30GMT).
The missing jet had requested a "deviation" from the flight path due
to bad weather, the company said.
Anxious family members have been arriving at the airport in
Surabaya
It was a similar scene at the flight's intended destination in
Singapore
The flight arrivals board at Changi Airport in Singapore, where the
AirAsia flight was due
There were 155 passengers on board, with 138 adults, 16 children
and one infant, the company said in a statement . Also on board
were two pilots and five cabin crew.
Most of those on board were Indonesian, but there were six others
on board, AirAsia has said: three South Koreans, and one each from
France, Malaysia and Singapore.
An official with the transport ministry, Hadi Mustofa, told local
media the plane lost contact over the Java Sea, between the islands
of Kalimantan and Java.
He said the plane had asked for an unusual route before it lost
contact and that the weather had been cloudy.
AirAsia has set up an emergency line for family or friends of those
who may be on board. The number is +622 129 850 801.
The company's chief executive, Tony Fernandes, tweeted: "Thank
you for all your thoughts and prayers. We must stay strong."
Source: http://m.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30614627