Indonesia official: Some AirAsia victims belted in seats

Caskets containing the remains of AirAsia QZ8501 passengers recovered from the sea are carried to a military transport plane before being transported to Surabaya, where the flight originated, at the airport in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan January 2, 2015.[Photo/Agencies]

Bad weather, which has hindered the search for the past several days, remained a worry. A drizzle and light clouds covered the area Friday morning, but rain, strong winds and high waves up to 4 meters (13 feet) were forecast until Sunday. Strong sea currents have also kept debris moving.

That has severely slowed recovery efforts, as well, as bodies drift farther and farther away.

Col. Yayan Sofiyan, commander of the warship Bung Tomo, told MetroTV his vessel managed to pull seven bodies from the choppy waters on Friday, five still fastened in their seats.

Soelistyo, who was only able to confirm two victims in their seats, said a total of 30 bodies have been recovered.

More than a third have been pulled out by a U.S. Navy ship, the USS Sampson.

Soelistyo pledged to recover the bodies of "our brothers and sisters ... whatever conditions we face."

Four crash victims have been identified and returned to their families, including a flight attendant and a 12-year-old boy.

After prayers on Friday, the holiest day of the week for Muslims, more than 200 people gathered at a mosque in Surabaya to remember the victims.

"We pray that the passengers in this AirAsia tragedy will be received by Allah," the imam said, "and that all their sins will be forgiven by Allah."