SURABAYA, Indonesia — A grieving relative of four passengers aboard doomed AirAsia Flight QZ8501 revealed Saturday that his missing mother had "kissed everyone in the street" goodbye before leaving.
Agung Wahyu Darmono was waiting on any word about the fate of his mother Pai Sormamik Saeran, 64, brother Djoko Suseno, 42, and 9-year-old niece Naura Kanita Rosad Suseno. Darmano's sister-in-law Hayati Lutfiah Hamid, 40, was the first victim of the crash to be identified and buried.
"We hope that they are alive but if they are dead, we've let go, we surrender to God's will," Darmano told NBC News as wilting flowers from housewife Hamid's funeral remained in front of their home. "It's been very hard waiting because we don't know whether they will be brought back to us."
Darmano, 38, added: "My mother was very excited to go on vacation, she kissed everyone in the street before she left." He described his missing niece as "very happy and very smart," adding that she had recently won an award for her English skills.
Only 30 bodies have been recovered since the Airbus A320 vanished on Dec. 28 while flying from Surabaya to Singapore. It was carrying 162 passengers and crew members.
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