DHAKA: Rescuers scouring the Java Sea for a missing AirAsia Indonesia plane with 162 aboard halted their search at nightfall on Sunday and will resume on Monday.

Indonesia’s transport ministry said, reports The Straits Times.

‘We ended at 5.30pm (local time) because it was getting dark. The weather was also not too good as it was getting really cloudy,’ transport ministry official Hadi Mustofa told the media.

‘Tomorrow we will begin at 7:00am, or even earlier than that if the weather is good,’ he added.

Flight QZ8501, which was travelling from Surabaya to Singapore on Sunday morning, had 155 passengers and seven crew members on board.

There were 155 Indonesians, a Singaporean, a Malaysian, a British, a French and three South Koreans.

The plane left Juanda international airport in Surabaya in east Java at 5.35am (Indonesia time) and was expected to arrive in Singapore at 8.30am (Singapore time).

Local officials said the plane lost contact at about 6.17am (Indonesia time). Indonesia is one hour behind Singapore.

BDST: 1932 HRS, DEC 28, 2014