Indonesia says tail for AirAsia jet had been found   

搜救队找到亚航失事客机机尾 或有助找到黑匣子

The tail for AirAsia plane which crashed into the Java Sea on Dec. 28 with 162 people on board has been discovered, Indonesia's search and rescue agency chief Bambang Soelistyo told a press conference on Wednesday. [Special coverage]

"We have successfully obtained part of the plane that has been our target. The tail portion has been confirmed found," search and rescue agency chief Bambang Soelistyo told a press conference.

The AirAsia Airbus A320-200 vanished from radar screens on Dec. 28 enroute from Indonesia's second-largest city Surabaya to Singapore with 162 people on board.

The discovery on the seabed is considered as a major breakthrough in the search as the tail usually houses the black boxes -- the flight data and voice recorders, crucial to identify the cause of a crash.

The official, on the same occasion, said recovering more bodies and spotting the black boxes are still the top priorities of the search and rescue operation.

One more body was recovered Wednesday, bringing the total to 40.

Five large parts believed to be from the jet have also been detected as the search operation is hindered by unfavorable sea conditions.

Indonesia's meteorological agency said earlier that the weather was the "triggering factor" in the crash of the plane as icing might have damaged the engine.

(Updated)