UN chief conveys condolences after crash of Malaysian airliner

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his “sincerest condolences” to the families of the crew members and passengers of downed AirAsia flight QZ8501 as recovery efforts continue amid harsh conditions in the Java Sea.

In a statement released yesterday, a UN spokesperson said Mr. Ban had been “closely” following the developments of the salvage efforts as emergency teams worked to recover plane debris and the bodies of the 162 passengers and crew who had been on board the flight.

The Secretary-General, continued the statement, also extended his condolences to “the governments and peoples of their countries of origin, particularly Indonesia, which suffered the greatest loss” and thanked “those governments that joined in the search for the missing plane for their quick and able response.”

AirAsia flight QZ8501 disappeared from radar on 28 December as it travelled from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore. Response teams have located plane debris in an area of the Java Sea but have been thwarted from intensifying efforts by continued bad weather, according to reports.