No confirmation images of debris pertain to MH370
Every effort is being made to locate missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 but the "credible" sighting of possible wreckage was yet to be confirmed, acting Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said yesterday.
The search for the missing plane entered its 13th day yesterday and efforts were redirected to a location some 2,500 kilometres southwest of Perth after Australia said two objects – one estimated at 24 metres long – had been spotted in the southern Indian Ocean.
It could take up to 48 hours to confirm that debris spotted by satellite belonged to Flight MH370, an expert said.
Michael Daniel, a retired US Federal Aviation Administration official, told Singapore’s The Straits Times: “If they have a strong feeling or indication that the debris belongs to the aircraft, one of the first things authorities will do is drop sonar buoys in the water.”
Search planes dispatched
Daniel said: “If the black box is there, the buoys should be able to pick up the signals. This could take up to 48 hours, but it all depends on how near or far the ships and other assets are” from the site.
At a daily press briefing in Malaysia, Hishammuddin said Prime Minister Najib Razak had received a call from his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott yesterday morning to brief him on the latest findings. He said the sighting, while credible, was yet to be confirmed as MH370.
A high-level team was set to leave for Beijing last night to help the Chinese families of missing passengers, Hishammuddin added.
