The director of Indonesia’s search and operations team confirmed that reports of smoke on Belitung Island are coming in amid the search for missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501.
The director made the confirmation to CBS News late Monday (early Tuesday in Asia). The search area has included the island all along.
On the other hand, the director, Henry Soelistyo, was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying “We have not yet found any signal or indication of the plane’s whereabouts.”
Early reports just after the disappearance early Sunday indicated that the plane may have crashed on the island, but searches have so far found no plane or wreckage. Fishermen told Bangka that they heard a loud explosion near the island.
Fishermen told Channel News that they searched the water around the island for hours, but found nothing.
The search included approximately 60 people in four boats. Some local fisherman had said they spotted the plane going down near the island.
The U.S. Navy is sending the destroyer USS Sampson to the area. It’s slated to arrive later Tuesday local time.
At the same time, there are unconfirmed reports that wreckage was discovered off the island. Bangka reported on the reports, but emphasized that there has been no official confirmation.
