Translation from English

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Search Continues for Missing Plane- BBC


Flight MH370: Renewed search for Malaysia plane debris

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force AP-3C Orion arrives back at RAAF Base Peace. 27 March 2014  
Aircraft face a long flight from Western Australia to the remote search area
An air and sea search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is due to resume in the southern Indian Ocean, a day after fresh satellite images revealed a possible debris field.

Six military aircraft, five civilian aircraft and five ships will take part in Thursday's operations, Australian maritime officials said.

However, they say weather in the search area is expected to deteriorate.

Flight MH370 disappeared on 8 March with 239 people on board.

It had been en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it disappeared from air traffic controllers' screens over the South China Sea.

So far, not a single item of debris linked to the missing plane has been recovered.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa), co-ordinating the search, said that aircraft had spotted three objects on Wednesday but despite several passes had not been able to relocate them.

It said Australian Navy ship HMAS Success remained in the search area about 2,500km (1,500 miles) south-west of Perth and had been joined by four Chinese ships - Xue Long, Kuulunshan, Haikon and Qiandaohu.

Map showing the location of debris spotted on satellite images between 16 and 24 March
Australian AP-3C Orion during a search mission in Southern Indian Ocean. 26 March 2014  
Finding possible debris in choppy seas is proving a difficult task
 
On Wednesday, Malaysia's acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein said a French satellite had located some 122 objects that could be from the missing airliner.

The images, taken on 23 March, showed objects up to 23m (75ft) in length, he said.

MH370 - Facts at a glance

  • 8 March - Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight carrying 239 people disappears
  • Plane's transponder, which gives out location data, was switched off as it left Malaysian airspace
  • Satellite 'pings' indicate plane was still flying seven hours after satellite contact was lost
  • 16 March - first satellite image of potential debris in southern Indian Ocean
  • 24 March - Based on new calculations, Malaysian PM says "beyond reasonable doubt" that plane crashed in southern Indian Ocean with no survivors
Analysts say the images are the first to suggest a debris field from the plane, rather than just isolated objects.

Mr Hussein described the new images as the most credible lead so far.

Malaysia said on Monday that fresh analysis of satellite signals showed that the plane had gone down in the southern Indian Ocean, with no survivors.

The reasons why the plane deviated off course and lost contact with air traffic controllers remain a mystery.

Investigators have ruled nothing out including mechanical or electrical failure, hijacking, sabotage or deliberate action by the pilot or co-pilot.

On Wednesday, FBI chief James Comey said that analysis of data from a flight simulator taken from the home of pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah was nearly finished.

"I have teams working literally round-the-clock," Mr Comey told members of Congress.
"I expect it to be done fairly shortly - within a day or two."

In the absence of any debris from the plane, some relatives of the flight's 153 Chinese passengers have refused the accept the Malaysian account of events and accused officials of withholding information.

On Wednesday, Mr Hussein also expressed exasperation, saying that Chinese families "must also understand that we in Malaysia also lost our loved ones" as did "so many other nations".


A total of six countries are now involved in the search - Australia, New Zealand, the US, Japan, China and the South Korea.

The vast search area - in one of the world's remotest regions - has now been split into east and west sections.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology warned that conditions in the search area were expected to deteriorate later on Thursday.

"Potentially thunderstorms down there as well as winds picking up, and they could get to gale force conditions," said bureau spokesman Neil Bennett.

More on This Story

MH370 mystery

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