They never made it. And
for the past four days, the CNN crew has witnessed the shock, disbelief,
frustration, and finally the devastating realization from the families
of those missing.
Since Sunday evening, we
have been staffing our live camera position 24 hours a day just a few
paces from the crisis center at Surabaya International Airport.
We have spoken to family
members and friends, trying to negotiate the fine line between prying
and reporting, trying to show the human side of a disaster without gross
intrusion into private grief.
What has been noticeable has been the stoic dignity of the family members we have met.
Of course there have been
scenes of raw emotion. We met Oei Endang Sulsilowati late on Sunday
evening, leaning on the arm of her daughter for support.
Her brother Oei Jimmy
Sentosa Winata, his wife and two children were on 8501. As she told us
her story, she repeatedly broke down. Her brother, she said always flew
Garuda, the national airline. But this time for some reason he had
chosen AirAsia.
She paused and broke down again as the awful truth hit home.
But she managed to
contain her grief and resume her quiet, dignified wait for news. And
that was how most family members we saw at the crisis center dealt with
their situation.
The atmosphere inside
the center as they gathered for regular updates was restrained. They
were shielded from the media but windows lining the building allowed the
media to look inside.
Up to 100 family members sat quietly, grim-faced. Some talked but most just stared ahead and waited.
Not all though. One
image that stuck with me: a man, head bowed and tears streaming down his
face, his hand resting on the shoulder of a boy in front, most likely
his son.
But as the days wore on, more and more began to voice their frustration about the lack of information.
Authorities set up video
links and Skype calls with search and rescue headquarters in Jakarta,
and tried to increase the number of briefings, but there was little
concrete news to relate.
Until Tuesday afternoon.
A press conference from search and rescue in Jakarta broke the news
everyone had feared but needed to know.
The mystery of Flight
8501 had been solved. Debris had been found, and authorities were 95%
certain it was part of the AirAsia flight.
As if the news itself
wasn't bad enough, the local broadcaster carrying the press conference
live began showing pictures of a body, with few clothes remaining,
floating in the water.
Our cameraman Paul
Devitt was filming and he described the scene as chaos as relatives
broke down. Stretchers were brought for at least two people who fainted.
One close friend of a
passenger described scenes of hysteria, screaming and people collapsing
at the news of the debris and compounded by the brutal pictures carried
on television.
But apart from that one
outpouring, the scene at the airport has mostly been one of quiet
dignity in the face of unimaginable loss. Many on board were families.
In one case seven members of the same family, now thought to have
perished.
The waiting goes on as
the weather conditions obstruct search operations to locate the main
fuselage, thought to contain most of the passengers.
The grieving goes on,
too, but behind closed doors. And it will continue long after the last
of the passengers' remains are finally brought to this city, identified
and buried.
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