Relatives of passengers of the missing AirAsia flight QZ 8501 react upon seeing the news on television about the findings of bodies on the waters near the site where the jetliner disappeared, at the crisis centre at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, on Tuesday.

Relatives in tears as bodies shown on TV; "My heart is filled with sadness," airline boss says; search operation to go on all night

More than forty bodies have been recovered at sea from the AirAsia jet that went missing on Sunday, Manahan Simorangkir Kadispenal, a spokesman for Indonesia's navy, said.

Search and rescue teams were lowered on ropes from a hovering helicopter to retrieve the corpses, their efforts hindered by 2-metre-high waves and strong winds, National Search and Rescue Director S.B. Supriyadi told The Associated Press.

The discovery came after several pieces of red, white and black debris were spotted in the Java Sea near Borneo island. AirAsia planes are red and white.

Mr. Supriyadi said that from an aircraft above, he said he saw what appeared to be a life jacket and an emergency exit door. More wreckage could be seen beneath the water.

Indonesian television showed a body of a man whose shirt partially covered his head. The images sent a spasm of pain through family members watching together in a waiting room at the Surabaya airport.

Many screamed and wailed uncontrollably, breaking down into tears while they squeezed each other. One middle-aged man collapsed and had to be out on a stretcher.

AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes tweeted, “My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ 8501. On behalf of AirAsia my condolences to all. Words cannot express how sorry I am.”

Ifan Joko, 54, said he was still hoping for a miracle. His brother, Charlie Gunawan, along with his wife, their three children and two other family members, were traveling to Singapore on the plane to ring in the New Year.

“I know the plane has crashed, but I cannot believe my brother and his family are dead,” he said, wiping a tear. “... We still pray they are alive.”