QZ8501: Media barred from covering handover of bodies at Surabaya

Journalists are prohibited from covering the handing-over process of bodies from AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 at the East Java Police's Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) command centre in Surabaya.

Kompas.com reported that the police had received protests from the victims' bereaved families, and had therefore barred journalists who are standing by at the post from covering the process.

East Java Police chief spokesman Sr. Commissioner Awi Setiyono said he was told by family members yesterday that they objected the handing-over being covered by the Press.

"Therefore, starting today, we are no longer allowing journalists to cover the process," he said, hoping that all parties understand the situation and respect the families' decision.

The handing-over process had previously been open to the media where the transferrals were conducted after the DVI team reveal the identities of the bodies that had already been identified.

As of today, of the 18 bodies which had arrived at the DVI command post at the Bhayangkara Police Hospital, only four had been identified.

They are Hayati Lutfiah Hamid, Grayson Herbert Linaksita, Kevin Alexander Soetjipto and AirAsia Indonesia stewardess Khairunnisa Haidar Fauzi.

Khairunnisa's body was flown back to her hometown in Palembang yesterday, where it was accompanied by AirAsia chief Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.

She was among the 10 bodies found in the Java Sea and among the 162 passengers and crew members who were onboard of the ill-fated QZ8501 which crashed in the Java Sea last Sunday.

Flight QZ8501 had departed the Juanda Airport in Surabaya at 5.25am on Sunday and was scheduled to land at the Changi Airport in Singapore at 8.30am (Malaysian time) on the same day.

The last contact between the plane and the Jakarta air traffic control was at 7.12am Malaysian time.

Passengers on the flight comprised 149 Indonesians, three South Koreans, a Singaporean, a Malaysian and a Briton. The crew comprised six Indonesians and a Frenchman.