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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An astonishingly tragic year for air travel in Southeast Asia has turned worse, with an AirAsia plane carrying 162 people disappearing today over stormy Indonesian waters.
There's been no word on AirAsia Flight 8501's fate despite several hours of searching by air and sea.
The plane vanished in airspace possibly thick with dense storm clouds, strong winds and lightning on its way from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore. Searchers have had to fight against heavy rain.
At the Surabaya airport, shocked family members have been poring over the plane's manifest, crying and embracing when they learned the news. Nearly all the passengers and crew are Indonesians, who are frequent visitors to Singapore, particularly on holidays.
AirAsia is based in Malaysia. The plane's loss comes on top of the still-unexplained disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in March and the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in July over Ukraine.
Indonesia's search and rescue agency says the air search is to resume Monday morning, while some ships continue to comb the area overnight.
%@AP Links
112-a-16-(John Goglia (GOH'-lee-uh), aviation safety consultant, former member National Transportation Safety Board, in AP interview)-"our own operators"-Former National Transportation Safety Board member John Goglia says U.S. aviation officials will be watching the missing AirAsia flight investigation closely to see if the aircraft model or engine played a role in the disappearance. (28 Dec 2014)
<<CUT *112 (12/28/14)££ 00:16 "our own operators"
110-a-16-(John Goglia (GOH'-lee-uh), aviation safety consultant, former member National Transportation Safety Board, in AP interview)-"of the airplanes"-Former National Transportation Safety Board member John Goglia says the missing AirAisia jet investigation may prompt air officials to consider real-time tracking of flights in the air. (28 Dec 2014)
<<CUT *110 (12/28/14)££ 00:16 "of the airplanes"
109-a-13-(John Goglia (GOH'-lee-uh), aviation safety consultant, former member National Transportation Safety Board, in AP interview)-"which was granted"-Former National Transportation Safety Board member John Goglia says the fact that the plane was flying in bad weather will weigh heavily on the investigation. (28 Dec 2014)
<<CUT *109 (12/28/14)££ 00:13 "which was granted"
111-a-10-(John Goglia (GOH'-lee-uh), aviation safety consultant, former member National Transportation Safety Board, in AP interview)-"have a problem"-Former National Transportation Safety Board member John Goglia says it's highly unlikely the missing AirAsia flight possibly diverted and made an emergency landing somewhere. (28 Dec 2014)
<<CUT *111 (12/28/14)££ 00:10 "have a problem"
113-a-07-(John Goglia (GOH'-lee-uh), aviation safety consultant, former member National Transportation Safety Board, in AP interview)-"is very unusual"-Former National Transportation Safety Board member John Goglia says the fact that this is the third major aviation incident involving Malaysia this year is unprecendented. (28 Dec 2014)
<<CUT *113 (12/28/14)££ 00:07 "is very unusual"
APPHOTO GFX4534: Updates the number of people onboard to match the current report. Please note a path is not available at this time.: Map locates Jakarta, Indonesia and details of the missing AirAsia plane.; 2c x 4 inches; 96.3 mm x 101 mm; (28 Dec 2014)
<<APPHOTO GFX4534 (12/28/14)££
APPHOTO XJAK102: A relative of AirAsia flight QZ8501 passengers weeps as she waits for the latest news on the missing jetliner at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014. A massive sea search was underway for the AirAsia plane that disappeared Sunday while flying from Indonesia to Singapore through airspace possibly thick with dense storm clouds, strong winds and lightning, officials said. (AP Photo/Trisnadi) (28 Dec 2014)
<<APPHOTO XJAK102 (12/28/14)££
APPHOTO SIN108: Passengers queue for their flights at the AirAsia check-in counter in Changi International Airport on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014 in Singapore. In the third air incident connected to Malaysia this year, an AirAsia plane went missing on Sunday while flying over the Java Sea after taking off from a provincial city in Indonesia for Singapore. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) (28 Dec 2014)
<<APPHOTO SIN108 (12/28/14)££
APPHOTO XJAK109: A relative of the passengers of AirAsia flight QZ8501 weeps as she waits for the latest news on the missing jetliner at a crisis center set up by local authority at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014. A massive sea search was underway for an AirAsia plane that disappeared Sunday while flying from Indonesia to Singapore through airspace possibly thick with dense storm clouds, strong winds and lightning, officials said. (AP Photo/Trisnadi) (28 Dec 2014)
<<APPHOTO XJAK109 (12/28/14)££
APPHOTO XKL101: CORRECTS NUMBERS OF THE PASSENGERS - In this Nov. 10, 2014 photo, AirAsia Airbus A320-200 passenger jets are parked on the tarmac at low cost terminal KLIA2 in Sepang, Malaysia. An AirAsia plane with 162 people on board went missing on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014 while flying over the Java Sea after taking off from Surabaya, Indonesia for Singapore. The planes in this photo are not the plane that went missing while flying from Indonesia to Singapore but one of the same models. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin) (28 Dec 2014)
<<APPHOTO XKL101 (12/28/14)££
APPHOTO XJP101: CORRECTS NUMBERS OF THE PASSENGERS - In this May 9, 2014 photo, an AirAsia A320-200 plane takes off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 in Sepang, Malaysia. An AirAsia plane with 162 people on board went missing on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014 while flying over the Java Sea after taking off from Surabaya, Indonesia for Singapore. The plane in this photo is the same model but not the one which went missing in Indonesia Sunday. (AP Photo/Joshua Paul) (9 May 2014)
<<APPHOTO XJP101 (05/09/14)££
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