DHAKA: Indonesia officials said they were "95 percent sure" that debris and bodies spotted in the Java Sea on Tuesday were from the missing AirAsia passenger jet that disappeared with 162 people aboard.

The Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency told NBC News that teams searching for the airliner had located at least six corpses, three of which were recovered. Images broadcast on Indonesian television showed bodies and objects floating in the sea.

"I am 95 percent sure that the location pictured is debris suspected to be from the aircraft," Indonesia Search and Rescue Agency chief Soelistyo told reporters, according to Reuters, after an aircraft involved in the multinational search reported a debris sighting off the Kalimantan coast. As grisly images flowed in search and rescue workers prepared to load body bags onto a flight to Kalimantan in Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia, according to Reuters.

AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes said on Twitter that he was rushing to Surabaya to be with families, who'd gathered at the flight's origin to wait for news.

At least 30 ships, 15 aircraft and seven helicopters have been involved in a multinational search in the Java Sea and nearby land. Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia are contributing to the efforts — and U.S. assistance has been requested.

"In a number of photos, there appears to be at least a few fragments. Each fragment is brown and rectangular in shape, silver-colored elongated rods as well as black and red flakes," Indonesian air force official Agus Dwi Putranto, told an earlier press conference.

AirAsia Flight QZ8501 disappeared from radar Sunday morning en route from Surabaya to Singapore, minutes after requesting to climb 6,000 feet to avoid bad weather.

Source: NBC
BDST: 1553 HRS, DEC 30, 2014