Obama getting updates on missing AirAsia flight

President Obama and aides are receiving constant updates on the search for a missing AirAsia flight, the White House says.

"The president has been briefed on AirAsia Flight 8501 and White House officials will continue to monitor the situation," says Obama administration spokesman Eric Schultz.

The president is on his traditional end-of-the-year holiday in Hawaii.

An AirAsia flight carrying 162 people, bound for Singapore from Surabaya, Indonesia, disappeared from radar over the Java Sea.

In a tweet, Secretary of State John Kerry said: "Our hearts and hopes are with the passengers and families of AirAsia QZ8501."