There is “increasing hope” that debris from a Malaysian passenger jet missing for more than two weeks will be found in the southern Indian Ocean, Australian officials said on Sunday.
Two Chinese aircraft and two from Japan joined the international force of ships and planes searching an area 2,500 kilometres south—west of Perth.
Spirits were buoyed by an image of a large object, 22.5 metres by 13 metres, captured in the area by a Chinese satellite Tuesday, two days after the initial satellite images were broadcast. The separate sightings were in relatively close proximity.
Australian officials leading the search said “several small objects of interest,” including a wooden pallet and different coloured straps, were spotted Saturday from a search plane.
“It’s a possible lead,” Australian Maritime Safety Authority official Mike Barton said in Canberra. “We’ve gone back to that area today to try and refind it. It’s a possible lead.” Two patches of ocean are being searched with a combined area of 59,000 square kilometres.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott spoke of “very credible leads” and said there was “increasing hope ... that we might be on the road to discovering what did happen.” A Malaysia Airlines passenger jet with 239 people on board vanished from radar March 8 as it was on a flight that was to take it from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
The object photographed last week by the Chinese satellite was about 120 kilometres from where the first images of possible debris from Flight MH370 were taken.
Australia’s HMAS Success is already in the search area, and Chinese, British and more Australian naval vessels were en route.
Two merchant ships had also been taking part in the search on requests by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, but one was released as more vessels arrived in the area.
The Hoegh St Petersburg, a Norwegian cargo vessel transporting cars, is now bound for Melbourne, its original destination.
Indian aircraft join search operations
India today deployed two long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft in the Indian Ocean to help trace the Malaysian plane that mysteriously went missing over two weeks ago, carrying 239 people on board.
The two surveillance aircraft — P8—I Poseidon of the Indian Navy and C—130J Super Hercules of the Indian Air Force — took off today from Subang Airport, Malaysia for search and rescue operations in the Indian Ocean along the southern corridor.
They arrived here on March 21 following a commitment from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to assist Malaysia and render all possible assistance to it in locating the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH 370, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
Both the aircraft have long endurance capabilities coupled with state—of—the—art electro optronic and infra red search and reconnaissance equipment on board, it said in a press release.
The P8—I aircraft has the added advantage of on—board radars and especially—designed search and rescue kits.
Both Indian aircraft took off this morning for the search areas allotted by the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) after extensive briefings.
Even though they are likely to encounter cyclonic conditions en route, both aircraft Captains decided to skirt bad weather areas to reach the search sectors allotted by the ARCC.
Both aircraft are likely to undertake 10—hour sorties today.
India has been participating in search and rescue operations from March 11 in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
Five ships and six aircraft of the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard carried out search from March 11—21 from the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
With the arrival of these two long—range maritime reconnaissance aircraft in Malaysia, India has now joined the next phase of ‘International Search and Rescue’ operations under coordination of ARCC.
India has assured that they will undertake any mission assigned by the ARCC and render any assistance that is technically feasible, the release said.