AirAsia flight QZ8501 black box pings detected as seven more bodies pulled from wreckage

By RYAN GORMAN

Seven more bodies were pulled from the wreckage of a AirAsia Flight QZ8501 just as pings were detected from the downed plane's black boxes, the airline has announced.

The pings were detected away from debris, leading investigators to believe the black boxes were separated from the plane, Santoso Sayogo, an investigator at the National Transportation Safety Committee, told Reuters, according to the Associated Press.

"We received an update from the field that the pinger locator already detected pings," he said.

"We have our fingers crossed it is the black box. Divers need to confirm. Unfortunately it seems it's off from the tail. But the divers need to confirm the position."

The newly recovered remains bring the total to 48, 27 of which have been identified, according to a Friday statement. There were 162 people aboard the doomed flight.

The Airbus A320-200's tail was found by search teams about 20 miles from the plane's last known location.

It was discovered at a depth of only about 90-feet.

Further debris was also recovered from the search area, including passenger belongings and luggage.

Two more of the deceased, Martinus Djomi and Marwin Sholeh, have also been identified.

Harsh weather has hampered search and rescue efforts since the crash, but a let up has allowed search teams to begin the arduous process of raising the tail.

Floating bags have been attached to the tail piece to pull it from the water, the airline said.

The recovery effort remains ongoing.

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