QZ8501: Body of sole Malaysian passenger on board identified

The body of the only Malaysian passenger, Sii Chung Huei, in the AirAsia QZ8501 crash in the Java Sea last Dec 28, was identified by Indonesian authorities today.

Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia, Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim said the body was found a few days ago but was only confirmed today as that of Sii today after the DNA testing was done.

The body had been sent to Bhayangkara Hospital in Surabaya after it was found by the Indonesian search team.

"The embassy here will arrange for Sii's remains to be handed over to his family members tomorrow in Surabaya before the remains will be flown back to Sarawak on a Royal Malaysian Air Force aircraft on Wednesday," Zahrain said when contacted, here, Monday.

Zahrain said he himself would meet with Sii's family members who had long been waiting in Surabaya and an embassy officer would be accompanying Sii's remains on the flight to Sarawak.

Sii, 56, a businessman from Kuching but based in Jakarta was on the ill-fated aircraft en route to Singapore from Surabaya on Dec 28, last year when it crashed.

There were 162 people on board but so far, 100 bodies have been found by the search authorities who also found the plane's black box two weeks ago.

The search operation by Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Body (Basarnas) is still on.