An Indonesian national studying at Australia’s Monash University has been confirmed as a passenger on the missing AirAsia flight.
Kevin Alexander Soetjipto was seated in seat 6a on the aircraft, which vanished after departing Indonesia en route to Singapore.
Soetjipto, who studies commerce at the Melbourne university, was with family members on the flight, which went missing early Sunday after leaving Surabaya airport at 5:35 a.m. local time.
Soetjipto says on his social media pages that he’s originally from Malang, Indonesia but lives in Melbourne after beginning to study at the university’s Clayton campus in 2013.
Pictures and status updates indicate he has an active social life, including taking trips to beaches with friends and recently traveling to New Zealand.
Prior to attending Monash University, Soetjipto studied for a spell at the University of Melbourne’s Trinity College.
He was with sister Cindy Clarissa Soetjipto on board. They were with a relative Rudy Soetjipto, according to the flight manifest.
“We are deeply saddened to learn this news in relation to one of our valued student community,” Monash spokeswoman Stacey Mair told the Herald Sun.
“We will be offering counselling support to Kevin’s friends and fellow classmates. We offer our sincere thoughts and prayers to all of the families of those onboard the flight.”
Nearly all of the 162 passengers and crew on board the flight were Indonesians, who frequently travel to SIngapore for work or vacation.
