Search for MH370 continues - AMSA

Search operations in the Southern Indian Ocean for the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft will continue today in the Australian Search and Rescue Region.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) reiterates this is a challenging search operation and continues to hold grave fears for the passengers and crew on board the missing flight.

Several small objects of interest were identified by air observers on a civil aircraft in yesterday’s search.

A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P3 Orion aircraft with specialist electro-optic observation equipment was diverted to the location, arriving after the first aircraft left but only reported sighting clumps of seaweed.

The RNZAF P3 Orion dropped a datum marker buoy to track the movement of the material.

Further attempts will be made today to establish whether the objects sighted are related to MH370.

Yesterday, China provided a satellite image to Australia possibly showing a 22.5 metre floating object in the southern Indian Ocean. AMSA plotted the position and it fell within yesterday’s search area. The object was not sighted during yesterday’s search.

AMSA has used this information in the development of the search area, taking drift modelling into account.

Today’s search has been split into two areas within the same proximity covering 59,000 square kilometres about 2500 kilometres south-west of Perth. These areas have been determined by drift modelling.

A total of eight aircraft have been tasked by AMSA’s Rescue Coordination Centre to undertake today’s search activities.

The civil aircraft are two Bombardier Global Express, a Gulfstream 5 and an Airbus 319.

One civil aircraft departed Perth for the search area just after 9am. Three other civil aircraft departed for the search area between 11am and midday.

The United States Navy P8 Poseidon aircraft departed for the search area about 11am.