17 bodies retrieved Friday at Lao crash site

As of Friday morning only 17 bodies had been found, said Lao Transport Minister Sommad Pholsena. Relatives of a Chinese victim identified the body Friday, marking the first identification of a body since the crash.
"It's very difficult to find (bodies) under water,'' the openly frustrated transport minister told reporters at the crash site, where the rescue operation awaited the arrival of more help. "If we could find (the plane), we would have found it already."