MH370: Another pulse signal detected on Sunday

Another pulse signal was detected in the southern Indian Ocean today by Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Ocean Shield while searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370.

Earlier a Chinese ship, Haixun 01, detected two short pulse signals also known as acoustic signal 36 hours ago on Friday and in the afternoon on Saturday.

Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) chief coordinator, Angus Houston said up till now there was no verification whether to discount or to confirm the finding as the investigation was ongoing.

"HMS Echo is on its way to the Haixun 01 ship area while Ocean Shield is investigating the signal using underwater equipment," he told a press conference here today.

He said the location between Haixun 01 and Ocean Shield is about 300 nautical miles.

Houston described the Ocean Shield as the best ship for the task as it was equipped with towed pinger and remotely operated underwater vehicle.

He, however, cautioned the verification of the signals could take several days and pointed out that search could be painstaking as the depth of the ocean in the area was about 4.5 km as well as other challenges.

Beijing-bound MH370 with 239 people on board vanished mid-flight over the South China Sea, about an hour into its flight from Kuala Lumpur on March 8.

Analysis of satellite data later pointed to the flight having ended in the southern Indian Ocean.