Updated

Singapore's defense minister says a Singaporean navy ship has located the fuselage of the crashed AirAsia plane in the Java Sea.

Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said on his Facebook page Wednesday that images taken by a remote controlled vehicle from the ship showed parts of the plane's wing and words on the fuselage.

He said Indonesian search officials have been notified so they can begin recovery operations.

The plane disappeared from radar less than halfway into a two-hour flight from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore on Dec. 28. It was carrying 162 people, but only 48 bodies have been recovered so far.

Many of the victims are believed to be entombed in the main section of the aircraft's cabin.