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Divers enter crashed AirAsia plane’s fuselage for first time

the associated press
Military personnel load a bodybag containing what is believed to be a victim of AirAsia QZ 8501 onto a helicopter on the deck of Indonesian Navy ship KRI Banda Aceh in the Java Sea, Indonesia, Thursday.
Military personnel load a bodybag containing what is believed to be a victim of AirAsia QZ 8501 onto a helicopter on the deck of Indonesian Navy ship KRI Banda Aceh in the Java Sea, Indonesia, Thursday. Natanael Pohan AP

PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia – Officials say Indonesian divers have been able for the first time to enter the fuselage of the AirAsia jetliner that crashed last month in the Java Sea and have retrieved six bodies.

The operations chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency, Suryadi Bambang Supriyadi, said Friday that divers saw more bodies inside the fuselage, but debris such as cables hampered their recovery.

A total of 65 bodies have now been recovered from AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed Dec. 28 with 162 people on board while flying from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore. Many of the remaining bodies are believed to be inside the fuselage.

Bad weather is a suspected factor in the crash.

This story was originally published January 23, 2015 at 8:45 AM with the headline "Divers enter crashed AirAsia plane’s fuselage for first time."

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