Search Crews Working to Raise Tail of Crashed AirAsia Plane

An underwater photo released by Indonesia’s National Search And Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) on Jan. 7, 2015 shows wreckage from AirAsia Flight 8501 in the Java Sea. BASARNAS handout(SURABAYA, Indonesia) — Search crews are working Friday to raise the tail of the AirAsia plane that crashed into the Java Sea, with hopes of locating the plane’s black boxes.

A crane from Indonesia’s Crest Onyx ship is being used to raise the tail, Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency stated in a presentation outlining the search efforts.

Marjono, the chief investigator with Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee, told ABC News that there is no official confirmation that any sounds that might have been pings from the plane’s black boxes have been detected thus far.

Rescue workers recovered four bodies Friday, bringing the total number to 48, authorities said. A dive team also worked to identify an underwater object, with side-scanning efforts also employed in the area.

The plane’s tail was spotted Wednesday, upside down and partially buried. The letters “A” and “X” were visible on the wreckage, along with the stylized dot in AsiaAir’s logo, matching the plane’s tail.

The black boxes — which are located in the plane’s tail section — could offer critical information about the doomed flight, including recordings of cockpit voice and flight data.

AirAsia Flight 8501 was carrying 162 people when it crashed Dec. 28.

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