Shropshire Star

Brit on board missing AirAsia flight

A British national was on board the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has confirmed.

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The plane with 162 people on board lost contact with ground control while flying over the Java Sea after taking off from a provincial city in Indonesia for Singapore.

The two countries immediately launched a search and rescue operation but there was no word on the plane's whereabouts more than six hours after it went missing.

The airline had originally released a statement listing the nationalities of passengers and crew as Indonesian, South Korean, Singaporean, Malaysian and French.

But Trikora Raharjo, the general manager of Surabaya's Juanda airport, confirmed a Briton was among them. The flight has been missing since 00.24GMT.

An FCO spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident regarding AirAsia flight QZ8501.

"Our thoughts are with the passengers' families as they await further news.

"We have been informed by the local authorities that one British national was on board. Their next of kin has been informed, and we stand ready to provide consular assistance."

AirAsia, a regional low-cost carrier with presence in several south-east Asian countries, said in a statement that the missing Airbus A320-200 was on the submitted flight plan route.

However, it had requested deviation due to weather before communication with the aircraft was lost while it was still under the control of the Indonesian Air Traffic Control.

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