Australia 'clutching' at MH370 leads after new data
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PERTH, Australia - Australia said Monday that French satellite data indicating floating objects possibly linked to missing Flight MH370 related to an area outside the current search zone, while admitting to "clutching" at every piece of new information.
Malaysian authorities on Sunday said the data was related to the area of the southern Indian Ocean being scoured for the missing Malaysian jet, which disappeared on March 8 with 239 people on board.
The information was passed to Australia, which is coordinating the hunt for the plane, focused on a remote stretch of ocean 2,500 kilometres (1,500 miles) southwest of Perth.
But Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said the latest potential sighting of debris was about 850 kilometres north of where aircraft and ships have been looking since Thursday.
"Certainly the area where debris has been picked up by satellites is of particular interest, and they're the focus of a lot of the searching," Truss told ABC radio.
"The French sighting is I guess a piece of new material because that is in a completely different location. That is about 850 kilometres north of our current search area.
"So we need to check that out as well."
AFP
