AirAsia QZ8501: First bodies returned to airport

The first two bodies from the AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crash
have arrived back in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, where
relatives are waiting.
Next of kin have been asked for DNA samples to help identify
the victims.
The Airbus A320-200, carrying 162 people from Surabaya to
Singapore, disappeared on Sunday and remains were located
in the sea on Tuesday.
The authorities say seven bodies have been retrieved, but bad
weather is hampering further salvage efforts.
A public memorial will be held in Surabaya on Wednesday
evening local time, and the governor of East Java province has
told the BBC that all New Year's Eve celebrations have been
cancelled.
On board the plane were 137 adult passengers, 17 children
and one infant, along with two pilots and five crew.
It is not yet clear what happened to the plane but its last
communication was a request from air traffic control to climb
to avoid bad weather. The pilot did not respond when given
permission.
A three-day search ended on Tuesday when remains including
aircraft parts, luggage and the bodies were found in the
Karimata Strait, south-west of the town of Pangkalan Bun in
the Indonesian part of Borneo.
A tent for taking DNA samples has been set up near the
airport at Surabaya.
Wind and rain
The bodies were flown to Surabaya's Juanda airport on
Wednesday afternoon from a hospital in Pangkalan Bun, where
they had been sent from the crash site.
Another five bodies are reported to be on board a ship on their
way to a harbour near Pangkalan Bun.
Four of the seven bodies are male and three female, one of
them a flight attendant.
But strong winds and 2m waves have slowed down the
recovery of bodies and debris, with helicopters mostly
grounded and divers prevented from searching the waters.
The weather is forecast to deteriorate further, with heavy rains
until Friday.
Next of kin of passengers and crew have been asked for DNA
samples to help identify the bodies when they come in.
The BBC's Alice Budisatrijo in Surabaya says concerns are
growing that the remains will be too difficult to identify after
more than three days in the water.