The remains of AirAsia flight QZ8501 are lying upside down on the ocean floor, with search and recovery operations currently being hampred by bad weather, according to Indonesian officials.

In a press conference the head of the national search and rescue agency, Bambang Soelistyo, said:

"Today, this morning, we found and retrieved three bodies -- two male and a female wearing a stewardess uniform. Up until now, we have recovered six bodies."

"Right now eighty percent of our (search and rescue) operation is on site, but it is being hampered by high tides which have reached two to three metres and there is also heavy rain in the search area."

The AirAsia flight from Indonesia to Singapore which was carrying 162 people, lost contact with ground authorities 42 minutes after take-off.

Though the waters are shallow at the crash zone, high waves are currently hampering the recovery measures and winds are preventing divers from pressing on with the operation. Singaporean navy personnel have also arrived at the site and are set to coordinate the recovery.

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