2 January 2015, 07:42 GMT
MOSCOW, January 3 (Sputnik) — The Russian Emergencies Ministry is ready to increase the contingent of rescuers in Indonesia participating in the search operation in the area of the AirAsia plane crash to 160 people and more, if needed, an official stated Saturday.
"Overall, we have… a group of more than 160 people, six aircraft and all the necessary equipment and gear to conduct search operations in the area," Russian Deputy Emergencies Minister Vladimir Stepanov told journalists.
He also added that currently there were 75 Russian rescuers in the area, and that if there would be an additional request from Indonesia, the ministry would "send a second group immediately."
On Friday, a group of Russian rescuers arrived to Indonesia for assistance in the search of AirAsia flight QZ8501, following a decision of the country’s government and a request from Indonesia.
AirAsia’s Airbus A320-200, carrying 155 passengers and seven crew members, vanished off radars some 40 minutes after takeoff on December 28 and crashed into the Java Sea. The black boxes from the plane are yet to be found.
