Update on AirAsia flight 8501: Passengers on Flight 8501 knew they were going to their doom: Search pilots reveal victims had time to put on life-jackets before jet crashed - and two were found holding hands in the Java Sea

Passengers on board doomed AirAsia flight 8501 would have been aware that the plane was going crash, it has emerged, after search pilots revealed victims had time to put on life jackets.

Representatives from Basarnas, Indonesia's search and rescue agency, said a seventh body recovered from the Java Sea this morning was wearing a life jacket, while a pilot assisting the operation claimed three of the victims were found floating in the water still holding hands. 

Some of the recovered bodies were fully clothed, which could indicate the Airbus A320-200 was intact when it hit the water - supporting the theory that the plane did not explode or break up in mid-air and may instead have suffered an aerodynamic stall.

The fact that one person put on a life jacket suggests those on board had time before the aircraft hit the water, or before it sank. 

This would make the search pilot's claim that three of the victims were found still holding hands more feasible, as it suggests not all passengers died on impact, although it raises questions over why the AirAsia captain did not raise a distress signal before the crash.