PANGKALPINANG, Indonesia, Dec. 30-- Commander of the search center for the missing AirAsia plane - Air Vice Marshall Sunarbowo Sandi - said on Tuesday that the focus of search efforts has been shifted to retrieve debris and perished passengers of the ill-fated plane which has been located in the Karimata Strait.

"The Basarnas is 95 percent certain the area where rescuers found debris and bodies is the location of QZ8501 wreckage," Sunarbowo told Xinhua after a meeting on the official announcement of the confirmed findings.

The Basarnas is the Indonesian version for the country's National Search and Rescue Agency.

Xinhua reporters witnessed piles of body bags were quickly carried into helicopters awaiting in the apron of an airport where the search center is situated. According to a rescuer, the number of body bags was 200.

Sunarbowo said that foreign planes and vessels taking part in the search operation will also join in the retrieval efforts.

"As soon as they arrive here, we will direct them to go immediately to the crash site," he added.

According to him, a United States navy vessel, USS Hampson, is scheduled to arrive in Indonesia later in the evening.

"It (the U.S. navy vessel) has the kind of equipment that can detect the wreckage and bodies of the passengers," he said.

Indonesian authorities confirmed the location of the plane wreckage is 190 miles from Pangkalan Bun after an Indonesian plane spotted the debris and bodies on the site Tuesday noon.

AirAsia Flight QZ8501 that carried 155 passengers and seven crews was reported to have lost contact with the Indonesian air traffic control on Sunday morning. International search operation has since been carried out.