All times listed are Singapore time. Refresh this page for updates.
11.10PM: The Commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), General Moeldoko said he has sent the best frogmen of the TNI to find victims of AirAsia. "On behalf of TNI, our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to the victims and families of the AirAsia disaster QZ8501," he tweeted.
10.20PM: Our reporter in Surabaya, Sumisha Naidu spoke to Captain Otto, a family friend of the pilot of QZ8501, Captain Irianto. "His family is so shocked. His wife until now she thinks he's still alive," he said.
Captain Otto incidentally knows Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah who had piloted the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
9.40PM: Tweets from Malaysia's Navy Chief and Defence Minister indicate crew on Malaysia's navy ships found the evacuation slide of QZ8501.
9.30PM: Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen thanks servicemen and women working over the New Year for QZ8501 recovery efforts. The RSS Kallang - a fifth Republic of Singapore Navy ship set sail for the search area today.
8.30PM: Our reporters Saifulbahri Ismail and Xabryna Kek have arrived in Pangkalan Bun and encountered bad weather travelling there from Jakarta. They spotted the Indonesian air force's C-130 parked on the tarmac.
7.50PM: AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes on the search for more bodies and plane wreckage: "The weather unfortunately is not looking good for the next two or three days. That is slowing us down. But they did inform me that the ships are looking to operate 24 hours, which is very encouraging, and they are moving all the assets to the two spots which they think the aircraft could be.
7.30PM: Here's what we know about the two bodies brought to Surabaya - one of them is that of a 1.6 metres-tall woman, and the other is that of a boy, who is 1.4 metres.
7.00PM: Crew on Malaysia's navy ships have helped retrieve four bodies at the QZ8501 debris site, the Malaysian Chief of Navy tweeted. The bodies were brought on board the Royal Malaysian Navy's KD Pahang and KD Lekir.
Malaysia Chief of Navy QZ8501
6.40PM: AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes confirms that the main wreckage of the plane has not been found, and there is no sonar image of the plane. He will not confirm or deny reports on life jackets, only stating that there is a lot of speculation.
The Surabaya Crisis Centre near the airport where he held a news conference will close tonight and be reopened near the hospital.
6PM: The first Super Puma sortie from Singapore's RSS Persistence took off at 3.30pm, but was aborted after just an hour due to bad weather, according to our field reporter Lam Shushan.
Meanwhile, RSN divers on board MV Swift Rescue are preparing for a search and rescue mission. They will work in teams of six once they arrive at the search site tomorrow afternoon.
5.55PM: Some updates regarding search operations today - according to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, no bodies were found wearing a life jacket. Rather, a body of a male was found near a life jacket, reports detik.com.
5.30PM: Two bodies retrieved from the search have arrived in Surabaya.
Bodies arrive in Surabaya
5.10PM: Singapore’s MV Swift Rescue will deploy a Remotely Operated Vehicle when it reaches the QZ8501 search site tomorrow. The vehicle will search underwater for the aircraft's main fuselage and black box.
The RSAF is also flying an RSN Autonomous Underwater Vehicle team to RSS Persistence, as part of search efforts.
5.05PM: Air evacuation of bodies from the navy ship at Pangkalan Bun has been suspended due to bad weather.
5PM: Singapore sends a fifth navy ship to join search efforts. The RSS Kallang has the capability to conduct underwater search operations.
4.48PM: About 50 divers are being deployed to retrieve bodies today, according to Bernama. “Yesterday, we had deployed 15 fishing boats, but the efforts failed due to bad weather," said Chief of 102 Panju-Panjung resort military command Colonel Sulaiman Agusto. "We hope the weather will be fine today, and no obstacles will be encountered."
4.15PM: Bodies found at the search site will be sent to Pangkalan Bun's Imannudin hospital to be inspected by the Disaster Victim Identification Uni. They will then be put into coffins and sent to Surabaya, said BASARNAS Vice-Marshall Sunarbowo Sandi, according to the AP.
Two coffins with bodies of QZ8501 victims have left Pangkalan Bun for Surabaya, following inspection by the Disaster Victim Identification Unit. Five more bodies found at the search site are still on an Indonesian navy ship.
3.57PM: AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes hails the "incredible effort" and transparency of BASARNAS and the Indonesian armed forces.
Tweet: @tonyfernandes hails QZ8501 search time
3.45PM: Singapore’s President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong send condolence letters to Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo.
"Singapore stands in solidarity with Indonesia during this difficult time."
3.36PM: Some relatives of those on board QZ8501 attend a local church service in Surabaya. "We still have hope," says Mr Juan Ang, whose sister was on board the plane.
Video: Mr Juan Ang at QZ8501 church service
2.37PM: Cold storage containers have been prepared to hold 150 bodies at a police hospital in Surabaya, reports TODAY, citing Kompas TV.
2.35PM: Most of the passengers' next-of-kin in Singapore have left for Surabaya, says Changi Airport Group.
2.12PM: Two bodies have been brought to the holding area in Pangkalan Bun from sea via helicopter.
1.55PM: The body of one of the victims was clad in a life jacket, reports AP-Dow Jones, citing BASARNAS.
1.19PM: Seventh body said to have been found at the search site, reports Kompas TV. The bodies of four men and three women have been recovered so far, reports AP-Dow Jones.
1.17PM: Singapore's MV Swift Rescue will only reach the search area on Jan 1, reports TODAY.
12.50PM: Singapore's RSS Persistence will be searching the current area allocated, before proceeding to the next area.
12.29PM: Family and friends of passengers of the plane have been seen going for prayers organised by a local church in Surabaya.
Bereaved families of passengers go for church service.
12.13PM: Singapore's C-130 Hercules seen landing at Tanjung Pandan airport shortly before heading off again.
12.11PM: Singapore has offered two more naval assets with underwater capabilities, which will replace the corvette currently deployed in the search area. "In this tragedy, we in Singapore share (Indonesia's) grief and sorrow," wrote Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.
12.00PM: Bodies will be flown via helicopter from navy ships to Pankalan Bun, then by plane to Surabaya, said Mayor of Surabaya Tri Rismaharini. Bodies will likely reach Surabaya in coffins, not body bags, she added.
11.34PM: Surabaya government staff are sorting out passenger and crew data at Juanda Airport before dispatching them to Bhayankara Hospital. Mayor Tri Rismaharini was also there overseeing the process.
11.30PM: Singapore's RSS Persistence fast craft loaded with rescue equipment, in preparation.
Tweet: @channelnewsasia rss persistence
11.30PM: No crafts and helicopters will be sent out from Singapore' RSS Persistence until further help is needed to investigate. Due to the weather, it is still unsafe to fly.
11.27AM: A sonar image appears to show the body of an aircraft upside down on the ocean floor in 24-30 metres of water, reports the Wall Street Journal, citing Indonesia's search and rescue agency BASARNAS.
11.05AM: Indonesian search ship Bung Tumo has found a backpack, food and children's shoes, reports detikcom.
Tweet: @detikcom backpack, food, shoes found in QZ8501 search
11.00AM: Singapore's Minister for Education Heng Swee Keat expresses condolences to the loved ones of the victims.
FB post: Heng Swee Keat sends condolences on QZ8501
10.53AM: Malaysian telco Tune Talk - AirAsia's sister company - sends a message of support.
Tweet: @TuneTalk here with you, AirAsia
10.48AM: Personnel from Singapore's navy have arrived at the search zone. They were given a more defined search area to work with - it is about 600 nautical miles from Singapore, according to Channel NewsAsia's Lam Shushan.
10.45AM: Bhayankara Hospital in Surabaya says it is "100 per cent ready" to receive the bodies of the victims.
10.29AM: "Weather conditions are not ideal, but we will continue to push," said RSS Persistence Commanding Officer LTC Ang. He has told his crew to look out for each other's safety and to ensure that everyone gets home safely.
10.08AM: AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes says he is working with the airport and hospital to prepare all facilities required, adding that the chief pilots are making the arrangements.
Tweet: @tonyfernandes hoping to fly to recovery site
10.07AM: DNA tests on recovered bodies are being conducted by the police, says the police chief.
10.02AM: The US Embassy in Singapore sends condolences to the loved ones of the victims.
Tweet: @RedWhiteBlueDot condolences for QZ8501
9.23AM: Three more bodies were found Wednesday morning, according to the BASARNAS chief, adding that one of them was dressed in a flight attendant's uniform. But all six recovered bodies have not been brought to the processing centre on shore at Pangkalan Bun in Kalimantan due to bad weather.
9.14AM: Bad weather is hampering recovery efforts off Borneo, reports the Wall Street Journal. "We can't dispatch divers yet" due to high swells and rain, WSJ quotes deputy operations officer of Indonesia's search and rescue agency Tatang Zaenudin as saying.
8.54AM: Juanda International Airport in Surabaya has 75 ambulances on standby - each with a stretcher - to receive bodies of the victims. Three bodies have been found so far. The bodies will then be transported to a hospital 10km away for forensics and identification. Families will also be ferried to the hospital, says our reporter John Leong.
Tweet: @Tajima92 Ambulances awaiting QZ8501 victims
8.16AM: Surface conditions during the search should remain at Sea State 2 - 10cm to 50cm waves - this morning, says our reporter on the RSS Persistence, Lam Shushan.
8.07AM: The fourth day of the search for QZ8501 will be focused on 4 sectors of 28 by 56 nautical miles, says Malaysia Chief of Navy Abdul Aziz Jaafar. Singapore's RSS Valour and RSS Swift Rescue will search in sector 2, while the RSS Persistence and RSS Supreme will search in sector 4.
The search area for day 4 will be 28x56 nautical miles.
7.55AM: With the sighting of the bodies amid debris yesterday, Republic of Singapore Navy vessel RSS Persistence's mission will also likely change, with Channel NewsAsia understanding that the crew is preparing for the possibility of having to retrieve bodies. Body bags and sanitising equipment have been readied, while a pre-departure briefing was also given to prepare the crew psychologically, our reporter understands.
7.46AM: Chinese President Xi Jinping sent condolences to his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo, reports CCTV news.
7.07AM: It is understood that Singapore's RSS Persistence is equipped to handle the retrieval of bodies if it is required to.
7.05AM: The weather in Tanjung Pandan, where the recovered bodies will be sent, has been described by our digital producer Xabryna Kek as "moderate rain". The bodies will be brought to Tanjung Pandan as the river of Pangkalan Bun - near where debris was recovered - is too narrow for ships to enter.
6.41AM: Malaysia Airlines' logo on its Twitter and Facebook pages has gone grey "in solidarity" with AirAsia. Singapore Airlines has also posted condolences on its Facebook page.
Malaysia Airlines extends its heartfelt condolences to families and friends.
"Our deepest sympathies," said Singapore Airlines.
6.26AM: The RSS Persistence, a landing ship tank, with two Super Puma helicopters on board is headed to the new search location south of Kalimantan. Its estimated arrival time is 10am on Wednesday (Dec 31).
2.38AM: The US Navy says it plans to send a second ship to help search for wreckage from QZ8501. The USS Fort Worth, a littoral combat ship, is "prepared to deploy from the region from Singapore," and "can be ready to sail in a day or two", said a Navy spokesman. The USS Sampson has already been deployed to the area.
Click here to read updates on the search for QZ8501 from the previous day.
- CNA/av