AirAsia: Divers reach fuselage, retrieve more bodies

SURABAYA, Indonesia, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Indonesian Navy divers entered the main passenger section of AirAsia flight 8501 for the first time, retrieving six bodies from the wreckage.

Thwarted by weeks of rough seas and bad weather, divers entered the fuselage of the Airbus A320 sunken in the Java Sea. A total of 103 people are still missing after the flight crashed on Dec. 28 on a trip to Singapore.

So far, about half of the 59 bodies that have been retrieved have been identified, officials said. In the coming days, more are expected to be retrieved from the fuselage. Rear Adm. Widodo, commander of the Indonesian Navy's western fleet, told journalists some of those retrieved were not intact.

"There are many bodies in the fuselage," he said.

Authorities are considering rasing the fuselage in an effort to retrieve more victims.

Earlier this week, Indonesia's transportation minister said the aircraft likely stalled as it ascended to bypass severe weather. The preliminary official crash report is expected next week.