Prayut sends condolence to families of missing flights

Prayut said Thailand is ready to assist the Indonesian government searching for survivors or the plane wreckage if requested.
Government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp said the Thai premier is greatly saddened by the news of the plane missing in Indonesia after losing contact with the air traffic controllers, and the search for the missing plane is now underway.
The Thai Prime Minister has promised to give whatever assistance requested by the Indonesian Government or AirAsia in their search and rescue operations; however, such requests have yet to be made to the Thai Government, said the Spokesman.
AirAsia passenger jet flight QZ8501 with 162 people on board lost contact with the Indonesian air traffic control early yesterday. Boats have already been dispatched to search for survivors. The operation was called off at nightfall but expected to resume at daybreak today.
Officials said one of the pilots had asked for permission to fly at a higher altitude because of bad weather before communication was lost.
The aircraft, flying from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore, went missing as it flew at 38,000 feet over the Java Sea between the islands of Belitung and Borneo -- a heavily traveled shipping channel with shallow water.