Flight MH370: 122 new objects spotted - Malaysia minister

Jon Donnison reports from Fremantle Port in Perth, where much of the search operation is based 

A further 122 objects potentially from the missing Malaysian plane have been identified by satellite, the country's acting transport minister has said.

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

Some of the objects captured by France-based Airbus appeared bright and were possibly of solid material.

Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared on 8 March with 239 people on board.

The images were supplied by France-based firm Airbus Defence and Space

 

 

 

 

 The objects were spotted in a 400 sq km area around 2,557km (1588 miles) from Perth in Western Australia, Mr Hishammuddin said.

"This is another new lead that will help direct the search operation," he said, adding that the information had been handed to the Australian Rescue and Co-ordination Centre in Perth on Tuesday.

The latest images are the fourth known collection of satellite pictures showing possible debris in the southern Indian Ocean. No pieces have yet been recovered in the search area, which has now been split into an east and west section.
The transport minister said Malaysia Airlines was "now taking a lead in communicating with the families" and would be conducting its own press conferences.
Weather improves The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa), co-ordinating the search, said on Wednesday that flights had resumed and conditions had improved after rough seas and heavy rain forced air and sea operations to be suspended the previous day.
It said seven military and five civilian planes were taking part and a total of six countries were now involved - Australia, New Zealand, the US, Japan, China and the South Korea.

Hishammuddin Hussein: "This is another new lead that will help direct the search operation"

Australian authorities said on Wednesday that three more objects had been spotted by a civilian aircraft involved in the search.
However, it could not be confirmed whether they were related to the missing aircraft.
The search for debris from the missing plane is taking place in one of the world's remotest regions.
If debris confirmed to be from the plane is found, the search area will narrow further.
However, experts say the aircraft's locator beacons, which will help guide ships to the wreckage, now have less than two weeks of battery life remaining.

Specialised equipment which can help locate the beacon is being flown to the search area.

Daniel Tan says he will "not give up hope" that his brother is alive until a wreckage is found.

SOURCE : BBC WORLD NEWS

Malaysia Airways MH370: Relatives in Beijing clashes

Lost Malaysian plane protest in Beijing for their relatives

Angry relatives of passengers on board the missing Malaysia Airlines plane have clashed with police outside Malaysia's embassy in the Chinese capital Beijing.

It came after Malaysian PM Najib Razak said a new analysis of satellite data showed the plane had ended its journey in remote seas west of Australia.

China has asked to see the data on which Malaysia's conclusion was based.

The search for missing flight MH370 has been suspended because of bad weather.

A multinational search effort has focused on seas some 2,500km (1,500 miles) to the south-west of the Australian city of Perth.

Flight MH370 disappeared on 8 March as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. It was carrying a total of 239 people, including 153 Chinese nationals.

In Beijing, relatives of passengers on board the plane released a statement accusing the Malaysian government of trying to "delay, distort and hide the truth".

Dozens of them then left their Beijing hotel on a protest bound for the Malaysian embassy, carrying banners asking Kuala Lumpur to be truthful with the relatives.

Police blocked their buses from leaving, so they left the buses and walked there themselves, with scuffles then erupting outside the diplomatic mission.

The protesters threw water bottles at the embassy and tried to storm the building, demanding to meet the ambassador.

There was a heavy police presence at the embassy and there was a brief scuffle between police and a group of relatives who tried to approach journalists, according to AP news agency.

The clashes in Beijing came a day after the Malaysian leader said it had to be concluded "with deep sadness and regret" that according to new data "flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean".

Mr Najib said the conclusion the plane was lost was based on new satellite analysis by British firm Inmarsat and information from the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

Mr Najib said Inmarsat had been able to shed further light on the plane's flight path by performing further calculations "using a type of analysis never before used in an investigation of this sort".

But Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Xie Hangsheng issued a statement saying "We demand the Malaysian side state the detailed evidence that leads them to this judgement as well as supply all the relevant information and evidence about the satellite data analysis.

"The search and rescue work cannot stop now. We demand the Malaysian side continue to finish all the work including search and rescue."

Malaysia Airlines has said it will make arrangements to fly relatives to Australia.

Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said his department was working with the airline and Beijing to arrange visas.

'Hazardous' search

Planes from several nations have been scouring waters far off Perth for signs of the missing plane, in a search co-ordinated by Australia.

There have been several sightings of debris, but none have yet been confirmed as linked to the plane.

In a statement announcing the suspension of search operations on Tuesday, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) said it had undertaken a risk assessment "and determined that the current weather conditions would make any air and sea search activities hazardous and pose a risk to crew".

Australia's Defence Minister David Johnston said search efforts were unlikely to start again for "at least another 24 hours".

He described the search as a "massive logistical exercise" in an "extremely remote" part of the world. 

Mark Binskin, vice-chief of the Australian Defence Force, said: "We're not searching for a needle in a haystack. We're still trying to define where the haystack is."

An Australian navy support vessel equipped with acoustic detection equipment, the Ocean Shield, is expected to be deployed to the search zone in the next few days.

SOURCE: BBC NEWS WORLD

Missing Malaysian plane: Search race to recover debris

An Australian plane has spotted two objects in the hunt for the missing Malaysia plane, and a ship has arrived in the area to find them.

The objects could be picked up in the southern Indian Ocean in a few hours, Malaysia's transport minister said.

One object was circular and grey or green, and the other rectangular and orange, Australian PM Tony Abbott said.

Mr Abbott said it was not known whether the objects were from flight MH370, and could be flotsam.

The two objects were different, he said, from several white, square-shaped objects spotted earlier by Chinese military planes.

"The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has advised that objects have been located by a Royal Australian Air Force P3 Orion. And I can advise the House that HMAS Success is on scene and is attempting to locate and recover these objects," Mr Abbott told the Australian parliament.

The objects were spotted some 2,500km (1,550 miles) south-west of Perth, western Australia, at about 14:45 local time (06:45 GMT).

A US Navy Poseidon plane, a second Royal Australian Air Force Orion and a Japanese Orion were also en route to or were in the search area, he added.

Investigators could be closer to resolving "one of the great mysteries of our time", he said.

Speaking at a daily news briefing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein confirmed the missing airliner had been carrying wooden pallets, but said there was no connection yet to a reported Australian sighting of pallets floating in the search zone.

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

Ten planes were scheduled to scour the southern Indian Ocean area on Monday for possible debris picked up earlier by radar echoes and satellite imagery.

Two Chinese military planes flew out to the search area on Monday morning, while two Japanese P-3 Orion aircraft set off later in the day.

Debris: Could it be missing flight MH370?

The search for flight MH370 has been taking place in two large corridors - one stretching to the north-west of the last known location in the Malacca Strait and one to the south-west.

However, none of the countries on the northern corridor have reported any radar contact, and the Australian and Chinese satellite images of possible debris in the south Indian Ocean have concentrated the search there.

They joined six other planes, including US and Australian military planes, in searching a 68,500 sq km (26,000 sq miles) area in the ocean.

Several Chinese ships are also on their way.

SOURCE: BBC NEWS