AirAsia confirms that debris found is from missing plane

On Tuesday, the grim news was confirmed that wreckage found off the coast of Indonesia is that of missing AirAsia Flight 8501.

USA Today reported that Indonesian authorities said the debris from the passenger jet that went missing on Sunday was found in the Karimata Strait between Sumatra, Java and Borneo.

AirAsia Indonesia's CEO Sunu Widyatmoko and AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes both issued statements following the tragic news.

"We would like to extend our sincere sympathies to the family and friends of those on board QZ8501,” said Widyatmoko. “Our sympathies also go out to the families of our dear colleagues."

"I am absolutely devastated,” Fernandes added. “This is a very difficult moment for all of us at AirAsia as we await further developments of the search and rescue operations but our first priority now is the wellbeing of the family members of those onboard QZ8501."

The Washington Post noted that the search and recovery operation is still ongoing as teams are continuing to pull bodies and debris from the water.

As previously reported, the aircraft disappeared after the pilot requested to change course due to bad weather conditions and was not given permission to do so because of heavy air traffic. The plane was carrying 162 passengers and was flying from Surabaya bound for Singapore.