General Moeldoko also said the tail section of the plane was part submerged in mud at the bottom of the Karimata Strait. Breakthrough: Black box signals have been picked up 300 metres from the aircraft's sunken tail, which is believed to be part submerged in mud. Credit:AFP/Basarnas Bambang Soelistyo, the head of search and rescue agency Basarnas, said the weather was good for searching on Friday and "many divers" were at the scene, suggesting new announcements may come later in the day. Mr Soelistyo refused to confirm General Moeldoko's black box comments. Attempts on Thursday to raise the rear section of the plane using flotation devices had failed because of the same strong sea currents which have plagued the rest of the search.



Four bodies were recovered on Thursday, and another three on Friday, bringing the total to 47. Unconfirmed reports said one of the three most recently recovered was near the wreckage of the tail. Grim search: Indonesian navy divers prepare operation to lift the tail of the AirAsia plane. Credit:AP Those involved in the recovery hope that there will be a large number of the dead still encased in the wreckage of the plane, because if they have all floated away into open ocean it's highly likely not all will be recovered and returned to their loved ones. Indonesia has started sending foreign ships away from the search, because the number of bodies and debris being recovered has diminished in recent days. AirAsia has also confirmed that the airline would pay 1.25 billon rupiah ($123,000) in compensation for each victim lost. That is the statutory amount required under Indonesian law, according to Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan.

The airline's Indonesian chief executive, Sunu Widyatmoko, said the money would be paid once the recovery and identification process had been completed. Indonesia has rolled out a harsh regulatory response to the crash. It was revealed this week that, two days after the December 28 crash, Mr Jonan put a floor on the price of tickets that low-budget airlines were able to sell, saying the minimum price must be no less than 40 per cent of the maximum price. The move was necessary to ensure the airlines had enough money to ensure safe operations. The ministry has also suspended a number of routes, including AirAsia's Surabaya to Singapore route, and suspended a number of airport staff and other bureaucrats involved in the oversight of airline licences. Results of a nationwide audit of all airlines' licences are due soon. The audit is designed to check if they are flying outside their permitted licences.