New Zealand offers more help in search for missing jet
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Wellington - New Zealand said on Friday it was ready to send more aircraft to help in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 if called on by the Australian government, which is leading the latest search efforts in the southern Indian Ocean.
"We do have additional P3 Orion aircraft sitting here in New Zealand and crews available, but that would be up to the Australians to ask New Zealand for further assistance," Air Commodore Mike Yardley told TV3.
New Zealand already has one maritime surveillance P3 Orion searching the area south-west of Perth along with other aircraft from Australia and the United States.
"This area is well known as the Roaring Forties," Yardley said, explaining the difficult conditions of the search.
"There is a lot of debris out there in the ocean and last night our crews picked up debris that was not part of the aircraft," he said. "Last night our radar system was picking up marine life - whales and dolphins and such."
DPA
