As the fate of the AirAsia flight QZ8501 was sealed after debris and bodies of victims were found floating in the Java Sea, local media shared photos of several victims sparking anger among relatives and netizens.
Several media such as Indonesian Television channel TVOne and Channel News Asia displayed images of swollen bodies suspected to be of the victims of the plane crash.
Families who have gathered at a crisis centre in Surabaya reacted strongly to the images on television, and as per some reports, one person also fainted after seeing a body, AFP reported.
Other relatives wept inconsolably on seeing images of bodies.
"Reports that broadcast showing image of body floating in water caused hysterical reaction from family members watching news," a journalist Matthew Keys said on Twitter.
Channel News Asia posted an apology on Twitter after sharp reactions.
We apologise for graphic images on our TV feed that were inadvertently shown from a live feed, taken directly from an Indonesian TV station.
— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) December 30, 2014
TVOne also reportedly showed edited footage without the bodies after receiving a backlash.
As many as 40 bodies have been retrieved from the area where the plane crashed on Sunday.
