MISSING AIRASIA QZ8501 PLANE - Plane from Indonesia to Singapore missing

28 December 2014 Last updated at 04:26

AirAsia flight QZ8501 from Indonesia to Singapore missing

An AirAsia flight travelling from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore has lost contact with air traffic control, the company has said.

Indonesian media say 162 people were on board.

The aircraft, flight number QZ8501, lost contact with air traffic control at 07:24 (00:24 GMT), AirAsia tweeted.

The company said that search and rescue operations were under way for the missing plane.

An official with the transport ministry, Hadi Mustofa, told local media the plane lost contact over the Java Sea, which lies between Surabaya and Singapore.

He said the plane had asked for an unusual route before it lost contact.

The missing plane is an Airbus A320-200.

AirAsia have given few other details.

"At the present time we unfortunately have no further information regarding the status of the passengers and crew members on board, but we will keep all parties informed as more information becomes available," a company statement said.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30614627