DVI Team Identifies one AirAsia Crash Victim

    Surabaya, E Java (Antara Bali) -- The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team identified one victim of AirAsia flight QZ5801 on Thursday, the police said.

         On Wednesday, the bodies of two victims were brought to Bhayangkara Police Hospital, where the victim labeled B001 was identified on Thursday.

         "We received two bodies yesterday---one female and one male. The team identified the victim labeled B001 as Hayati Lutfiah Hamid based on records," Head of Medical and Health Affairs of the East Java Police Senior Commissioner Budiyono stated here on Thursday.

         He added that the team had yet to identify the other victim, the body labeled B002, as it did not have adequate evidence.

         AirAsia flight QZ8501 is believed to have crashed in the waters of Karimata Strait near Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, during its flight from Surabaya, East Java, to Singapore on Sunday (December 28).

         The ill-fated plane was carrying 162 persons, including two pilots, four cabin crew members, one technician and seven foreigners.

         Till Thursday evening, a total of nine bodies were discovered and recovered.

         In the meantime, Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his condolences to Indonesian President Joko Widodo over the demise of the passengers and crew members aboard the crashed AirAsia airliner.

         "We share the grief of those who lost their near and dear ones in this catastrophe," Putin was quoted by Itar-TASS as saying in a statement posted on the Kremlin official website, Tuesday.

         At the same time, KAZINFORM news agency quoted the press service of Akorsa as reporting that Kazakhstan's President Nazarbayev sent a condolence message to his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo, over the crash of the AirAsia jetliner.

         The message noted that Nazarbayev was deeply saddened by the news of the recent plane crash, which claimed the lives of several Indonesian citizens.

         On behalf of the government and people of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev conveyed his sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims.

         The BelTA news service of Belarus also reported that President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko had extended his condolences to President Joko Widodo and the relatives and friends of the victims of the AirAsia plane crash.

   "It is with great pain and sorrow that the people in Belarus have learnt about the news of this tragic event," the message of condolence read, according to BelTA, which quoted the presidential press service. (WDY)