A Hong Kong resident and his two-year-old daughter have been confirmed as being among the 162 passengers on Air Asia Flight QZ8501, which dropped off the radar and disappeared on a flight from Indonesia to Singapore on Sunday.
Hong Kong’s Immigration Department has confirmed that a passenger on the missing flight, believed to be 48-year-old Choi Chi-man, holds both a foreign passport and Hong Kong residency status.
Choi Chi-man (Linkedin)
It is understood that Choi was travelling with his two-year-old daughter Zoe. By a cruel twist of fate, they reportedly wanted to take an earlier flight with Choi’s wife and older son, but the plane was full.
The man’s next of kin have been contacted, but have so far not asked for any support from the Hong Kong government.
According to the Telegraph, Choi’s parents were from Hong Kong but emigrated to the UK.
Sky News reports that he was born in Hull, northeast England, but is a managing director of Indonesia-based energy company Alstom Power.
The Airbus A320-200 lost contact with air traffic control on Sunday morning while en route from Surabaya to Changi Airport.
It is believed the captain asked to change altitude because of bad weather shortly before the loss of contact.
Air, land and sea searches for the missing craft continue, as hundreds of family members hope and pray.
