missing AirAsia plane
Authorities monitor progress in the search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 in the Mission Control Center inside the National Search and Rescue Agency in Jakarta on Dec. 29, 2014. Reuters/Darren Whiteside

Bambang Sulistyo, the head of search and rescue operations in Indonesia reportedly said at a press conference Tuesday that an Indonesian air force Hercules aircraft had found a shadow underwater -- at 12:50 local time (12:50 a.m. EST), which was believed to be in the shape of a plane, the BBC reported. AirAsia Flight 8501 went missing Sunday, with 162 people on board, while flying from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore's Changi International Airport.

The BBC report added that local television reports were showing footage of rescue workers being lowered into the sea to look for a body that was seen in one of the images. Sulistyo also said that officials are 95 percent sure that the debris spotted in the Java Sea is from the missing plane. Earlier, Indonesian officials told local television that "victims" had been spotted near the area where AirAsia Flight QZ8501 went missing Sunday morning, The Associated Press reported, even as reports emerged of aircraft involved in the search spotting objects that resembled life jackets, an emergency slide and a plane door in the water.

Officials are bringing body bags to Pangkal Bun, BBC reported, while The Straits Times reported that all the debris seen so far would be brought to Pangkal Bun for analysis, adding that submersible vehicles and divers were on their way to the area where the debris was found. The depth of the water in that area is reportedly about 25 meters to 30 meters.

Bodies have been found in Indonesian waters and are being brought to a navy ship, The Associated Press reported.

According to the BBC, which cited Sulistyo, an Indonesian air force Hercules found floating debris at 11:07 a.m. local time, followed by the sighting of an underwater shadow said to resemble the shape of a plane at 12:20 p.m. At 1:25 p.m., a search team spotted what is thought to be a body of a passenger in the water, and an object believed to be an emergency exit door shortly after. At 2 p.m., a navy vessel was dispatched to collect the debris.

Following reports of sighting of debris and, possibly a body, in the water, AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes posted the following messages on Twitter:

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