Pollyana

First of this year's air disasters.
Air Asia flight from Surabaya to Singapore.

Very sad, I guess they may yet find survivors, but as there was a request for diversion due to bad weather it doesn't look good may their souls rest in peace.

(and before anyone lays into me for saying its the first, I'm not tempting fate, just stating a fact, there are bound to be others, unfortunately. )

spouse of scouse

Dear God, another one

Alfresco

paulry

According to the below article, it crashed near or at Belitung Island.

GarryP

Looks like the catastrophic loss of the airframe, without the time to report problems (including automatically it seems), at altitude, over sea, in a storm - I'd say the probability of finding anyone is very low.

Contrary to previous reports, there was apparently one british national aboard.

People will start talking about bombs soon.

Pollyana

I've already seen people on facebook with conspiracy theories about the loss being linked to the two Malaysian ones etc.

carolinephillips

Not laying into you, but it is still 2014, so let's hope it is the last of this year's air disasters and that next year is as free of trouble as possible.

cresta57

Announced a couple of hours ago that good old Aussie search planes had sighted wreckage when nobody else had found any as yet. Then a smaller announcement just now to say "Oops we were wrong, carry on as you were". Why do the press make this shit up when it's toying with many peoples emotions?

spouse of scouse

Agree totally. Saw the same thing, day after day after........with MH370

Carbery

The first question from a few punters in my shop yesterday was 'were any Australians on board' when they discovered none were there was an almost a sigh of relief, implying that the disaster was not quite so bad. News channels seem to also imply the same stressing 'no Australians were involved'..

jad n rich

I dont like the way disasters are 'rated' according to the race or class of the people involved.

Or how Australia has to link itself to the resuce. The MH370 we found it thing was bizzare. Remember Tony Abbott on TV saying we 'cant say much' and thinking yeah thats cause its bullshite!

The other odd one is the way they carry on about the ' unique Australian spirt ' rah rah rah, when there is a disaster. From everything I have ever seen humans react with the same help and kindness be the disaster in asia, europe, americas, australia......

Cringworthy but almost amusing is the way the news will go from 360 people dead, none australian, so lets go to number 2 news story, ' some sportspersons knee injury, or a swimmers costume dilemma .

spouse of scouse

I agree Jad, I don't like the way disasters are related according to nationality either. Unfortunately, it's the way of the media world that an element of nationalism creeps into their reporting of major world events and disasters. They publish what they think the people want to hear, and that's not exclusive to the Australian media. Critical readers/viewers/listeners can easily tune out overtly nationalistic reporting, and the rest - well....

Same same with the 'spirit of the people' thing. When there's a tragedy/disaster on our own shores, wherever those shores may be, it's common for people to band together, it's how we're able to speak about the unspeakable, it gives us some comfort and some hope. Again, this phenomenon isn't exclusive to Australia or Australians

As for Abbott, he's a tool in anyone's language.

nphilips

Found.

GarryP

Bodies found, whole, but with no life jacket on. Which suggests the plane came down substantially intact, but without the opportunity for any reaction to prepare.

Looking more like structural failure of some form. Airbus will be worried.

nphilips

They won't. Plane dropped from 36,000 to 24,000 in a minute. Flying into the biggest thunderstorm in the area for some time or 'dry cell' crashes aircraft as we've seen before.