Scottish Catholic Observer

Pope Francis prayed for the passengers of a missing Asian airplane as hopes began to fade that anyone might be found alive.

162 people were aboard the AirAsia flight that disappeared from radar on Sunday as it approached violent weather. An Indonesian official this morning said that the plane is likely to be at the bottom of the sea.

Speaking at the conclusion of his Sunday Angelus the Holy Father said that his ‘thoughts in this moment go to the passengers of the airplane which went missing while it was en route from Indonesia to Singapore,’ adding that he was thinking too of the passengers of an Italian ferry stranded in the Adriatic sea. More than 100 people remain on the ship which caught fire on Sunday, and at least one person is believed to have died.

“With affection and prayers, I am close to their family members and those who are living through these difficult situations with apprehension and suffering as well those who are involved in the rescue operations,” the Pope said.

Flight QZ8501 left Surabaya in Indonesia at 10:35pm GMT, 5:35am local time, travelling to Singapore. It disappeared under an hour later. The pilot had contacted air traffic controllers to indicate he would be climbing altitude to avoid a thunderstorm. Bad weather and lightening had been reported along the flight’s planned route.

Speaking on Monday morning, Bambang Soelistyo, the head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, said: “Based on the co-ordinates given to us and evaluation that the estimated crash position is in the sea, the hypothesis is the plane is at the bottom of the sea.”

An Indonesian air force spokesman said the search was focussed on an area where an oil spill had been spotted.

The majority of passengers, which included 17 children and one infant, where Indonesian. Other nationalities include South Koreans, a Malaysian and Frenchman, and a British national.

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