The search for a missing airliner with 162 people aboard will expand Tuesday, the Indonesian government announced.
Four additional areas will be searched, the national search-and-rescue agency said.
Seven zones were patrolled Monday, the second day of working to find AirAsia Flight QZ8501. So far, the search has been fruitless.
“Our early conjecture is that the plane is in the bottom of the sea,” said Bambang Sulistyo, the head of the search-and-rescue agency. That belief is based on the plane’s flight track and last known coordinates.
Indonesia has formally asked the United States for help in the search, a senior U.S. official said. A process is underway to determine what may be needed, the official said.
The United States had already expressed willingness to help if asked, with the Navy 7th Fleet standing ready to contribute to search efforts.
One task Indonesia is seeking help with involves technology. Indonesia has reached out to the United Kingdom, France and the United States for help with sonar devices that may be needed for an underwater search, Sulistyo said Monday.
France has dispatched two investigators to Indonesia. They are due to arrive in Jakarta on Monday, France’s Foreign Ministry said.
The missing plane is made by Airbus, a French company.
China will dispatch aircraft and ships to participate in search and rescue efforts, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday.
A Chinese navy frigate previously patrolling in the South China Sea was en route to the waters near where the plane lost contact, the ministry said on its website. The Chinese air force is also assisting with planning, the ministry said.
A C-130 plane from Singapore has been participating in the search, and the country’s military said it’s sending two more ships to the search area. Malaysia’s transportation minister said his country has deployed three vessels and three aircraft to assist in the search. And the Royal Australian Air Force said Monday that it was deploying a patrol plane to help.
