Pangkalan Bun, Indonesia • A massive hunt for the 162 victims of AirAsia Flight 8501 resumed Wednesday in the Java Sea after six bodies, including a flight attendant identified by her trademark red uniform, were recovered. But wind, strong currents and high surf hampered recovery efforts as distraught family members anxiously waited to identify their loved ones.
Three bodies were retrieved Tuesday, while the others were found after the search resumed Wednesday morning, said Henry Bambang Soelistyo, Indonesia's search and rescue agency chief.
The first proof of the jetliner's fate emerged Tuesday in an area not far from where it dropped off radar screens. Searchers found the bodies and debris, which included a life jacket, an emergency exit door and a suitcase about 10 miles from the plane's last known coordinates. Parts of the interior, including the oxygen tank, were brought to the nearest town, Pangkalan Bun. Another find included a bright blue plastic suitcase, completely unscratched.
On Wednesday, divers were deployed, but heavy rain and clouds grounded helicopters, said Soelistyo.
The airliner's disappearance halfway through a two-hour flight between Surabaya, Indonesia, and Singapore triggered an international search for the aircraft involving dozens of planes, ships and helicopters. It is still unclear what brought the plane down.
The plane needs to be located and its cockpit voice and flight data recorders, or black boxes, recovered before officials can start determining what caused the crash.
Images of the debris and a bloated body shown on Indonesian television sent a spasm of anguish through the room at the Surabaya airport where relatives awaited news.
"I know the plane has crashed, but I cannot believe my brother and his family are dead," said Ifan Joko, who lost seven family members, three of them children, as they traveled to Singapore to ring in the New Year. "We still pray they are alive."
Rescue workers descended on ropes from a hovering helicopter to retrieve bodies. Efforts were hindered by 6-foot waves and strong winds, National Search and Rescue Director SB Supriyadi said. Supriyadi was on the aircraft and saw what appeared to be more wreckage under the water, which was clear and in relatively shallow water at 65 to 100 feet.
When TV broadcast an image of a half-nude man floating in the water, a shirt partially covering his head, many of the family members screamed and wailed uncontrollably. One middle-aged man collapsed and had to be carried out on a stretcher.
About 125 family members were planning to travel Wednesday to Pangkalan Bun to start identifying their loved ones. Body bags and coffins have been prepared at three hospitals there.
Malaysia-based AirAsia's loss comes on top of the still-unsolved disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in March with 239 people aboard, and the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in July over Ukraine, which killed all 298 passengers and crew.
Nearly all the passengers and crew aboard the AirAsia flight were Indonesians.
Haidar Fauzie, 60, said his youngest child and only daughter, Khairunnisa Haidar, was a flight attendant who had worked with AirAsia for two years.
On learning about the crash, he struggled to console his grieving wife.
"From the start, we already knew the risks associated with being a stewardess," Fauzie said. "She is beautiful and smart. It has always been her dream to fly. We couldn't have stopped her."
AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes, the airline's founder and public face and a constant presence in Indonesia since the tragedy started unfolding, said he planned to travel to the recovery site Wednesday.
"I have apologized profusely for what they are going through," he said of his contact with relatives.
The jet's last communication indicated the pilots were worried about bad weather. They sought permission to climb above threatening clouds but were denied because of heavy air traffic. Four minutes later, the jetliner disappeared from the radar without issuing a distress signal.
Relatives of passengers of the missing AirAsia flight QZ 8501 react to the news on television about the findings of bodies on the waters near the site where the jetliner disappeared, at the crisis center at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Flight 8501 vanished Sunday in airspace thick with storm clouds on its way from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)
Relatives of passengers of the missing AirAsia flight QZ 8501 react to the news on television about the findings of bodies on the waters near the site where the jetliner disappeared, at the crisis center at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. Flight 8501 vanished Sunday in airspace thick with storm clouds on its way from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)
Relatives of passengers of the missing AirAsia flight QZ 8501 react to the news on television about the findings of bodies on the waters near the site where the jetliner disappeared, at the crisis center at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Flight 8501 vanished Sunday in airspace thick with storm clouds on its way from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)
A crew member of Indonesian Navy CN-235 airplane looks out of the window during a search operation for the missing AirAsia flight 8501 over the waters off Bangka Island, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. Six bloated bodies and debris seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday painful ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed into the Java Sea and was lost to searchers for more than two days. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
A crew member of Indonesian Navy CN-235 airplane prays prior to the start of a search operation for the missing AirAsia flight 8501 at the airport in Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Island, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. Six bloated bodies and debris seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday painful ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed into the Java Sea and was lost to searchers for more than two days. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
A crew member of Indonesian Navy CN-235 airplane prays prior to the start of a search operation for the missing AirAsia flight 8501 at the airport in Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Island, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. Six bloated bodies and debris seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday painful ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed into the Java Sea and was lost to searchers for more than two days. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Relatives of passengers of the missing AirAsia Flight 8501 react upon seeing the news on television about the findings of bodies on the waters near the site where the jetliner disappeared, at the crisis center at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. Bodies and debris were seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday, painfully ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed into the Java Sea and was lost to searchers for more than two days.(AP Photo/Trisnadi)
Commander of 1st Indonesian Air Force Operational Command Rear Marshall Dwi Putranto, right, shows airplane parts and a suitcase found floating on the water near the site where AirAsia Flight 8501 disappeared, during a press conference at the airbase in Pangkalan Bun, Central Borneo, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. Bodies and debris seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday, painfully ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed into the Java Sea and was lost to searchers for more than two days. The writings on the suitcase reads "Recovered by KRI Bung Tomo." KRI Bung Tomo is the name of an Indonesian Navy ship. The numbers on the suitcase are the coordinates. (AP Photo/Dewi Nurcahyani)
Indonesian Air Force personnel carry airplane parts recovered from the water near the site where AirAsia Flight 8501 disappeared, at the airbase in Pangkalan Bun, Central Borneo, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. Bodies and debris seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday, painfully ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed into the Java Sea and was lost to searchers for more than two days. (AP Photo/Dewi Nurcahyani)
Commander of Indonesian Air Force 1st Operational Command Rear Marshall Dwi Putranto, center, shows the airplane parts and a suitcase found floating on the water near the site where AirAsia Flight 8501 disappeared, during a press conference at the airbase in Pangkalan Bun, Central Borneo, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. Bodies and debris seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday, painfully ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight QZ8501, which crashed into the Java Sea and was lost to searchers for more than two days. (AP Photo/Dewi Nurcahyani)
An Indonesian Air Force personnel show a suitcase and airplane parts, on the table, recovered from the water near the site where AirAsia Flight 8501 disappeared, during a press conference at the airbase in Pangkalan Bun, Central Borneo, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. Bodies and debris seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday, painfully ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed into the Java Sea and was lost to searchers for more than two days. (AP Photo/Dewi Nurcahyani)
Relatives of passengers of the missing AirAsia Flight 8501 react upon seeing the news on television about the findings of bodies on the waters near the site where the jetliner disappeared, at the crisis center at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. Bodies and debris seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday, painfully ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed into the Java Sea and was lost to searchers for more than two days. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)
Relatives of passengers of the missing AirAsia Flight 8501 react upon seeing the news on television about the findings of bodies on the waters near the site where the jetliner disappeared, at the crisis center at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. Bodies and debris were seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday, painfully ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed into the Java Sea and was lost to searchers for more than two days.(AP Photo/Trisnadi)
A crew member of Indonesian Navy CN-235 airplane looks out of the window during a search operation for the missing AirAsia flight 8501 over the waters off Bangka Island, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. Six bloated bodies and debris seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday painful ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed into the Java Sea and was lost to searchers for more than two days. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Commander of 1st Indonesian Air Force Operational Command Rear Marshall Dwi Putranto, right, shows airplane parts and a suitcase found floating on the water near the site where AirAsia Flight 8501 disappeared, during a press conference at the airbase in Pangkalan Bun, Central Borneo, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. Bodies and debris seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday, painfully ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed into the Java Sea and was lost to searchers for more than two days. The writings on the suitcase reads "Recovered by KRI Bung Tomo." KRI Bung Tomo is the name of an Indonesian Navy ship. The numbers on the suitcase are the coordinates. (AP Photo/Dewi Nurcahyani)
A relative of passengers of the missing AirAsia Flight 8501 reacts upon seeing the news on television about the findings of bodies on the waters near the site where the jetliner disappeared, at the crisis center at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. Bodies and debris seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday, painfully ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed into the Java Sea and was lost to searchers for more than two days. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)
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