LIVE: Ships and planes resume search March 26, 2014 08:47 Key points - Search efforts for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 resumed on Wednesday following improved weather conditions - Malaysias acting transport minister said 122 potential objects had been seen around 2,557km from Perth based on new French satellite images - Six countries - Australia, New Zealand, the US, Japan, China and South Korea - are sending aircraft or ships to the search area - The Kuala Lumpur-Beijing airliner disappeared on 8 March with 239 people on board - The plane is presumed to have crashed into the southern Indian Ocean with no survivors - All times GMT Join the discussion Send an SMS to +44 7624 800 100 LIVE TEXT By Amee Enriquez and Victoria Park 12:42 This is one of the new satellite images that Malaysias acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein referred to in his statement earlier. The BBCs World Affairs Correspondent Paul Adams reports from Kuala Lumpur: They were taken by a French satellite two days ago and show 122 objects, 1-23m across, some of them bright, floating in the ocean more than 2,500 miles south west of Perth - in other words, not far from the locations of previous sightings. The acting minister, Hishammudin Hussein, said it was too early to know if the objects were connected with the disappearance of MH370. Daughter of MH370 passenger tweets: I received love from almost the whole world. Im so touched. I dont know how to thank all of you. Supports, prayers..., God bless you all. @diyy_yanaa in Malaysia tweets: Flags placed half way down the pole for mh370 remembrance Helen, UK, emails: Sad ending as this may be, I doubt that any real explanations will be found. If the plane is in the Indian Ocean, then the pilots are with it and they are the only ones who have the real answers. Bloomberg News tweets: Malaysian Air, Boeing data on #MH370 sought in U.S. court 12:18 To recap: On 24 March, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that following further analysis of satellite data, it was beyond doubt that the plane had gone down in an area of the southern Indian Ocean. Breaking News Australian Maritime Safety Authority tweets: Positions in the Malaysia Remote Sensing Agency satellite information tweeted on 26 March were within todays #MH370 search area. 2/2 Breaking News Australian Maritime Safety Authority tweets: Final aircraft has left the #MH370 search area. Nothing further identified after initial sighting of three objects. 1/2 11:55 To recap: Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared on 8 March with 239 people on board. Most the passengers were Chinese. Malaysia Airlines says the plane lost contact less than an hour after takeoff, without sending a distress signal or message. 11:44 Some of the aircraft involved in the search efforts include an Australian P3 Orion, above, and the Chinese Ilyushin Il-76, below. 11:38 The BBCs John Sudworth in Beijing says that relatives of passengers on the missing plane still want physical evidence or they will not accept that the plane is lost. 11:27 As the search for the missing plane continues, some key questions still remain unanswered. Why did the plane make a sharp left turn? Is a hijack scenario even possible? The BBCs Vanessa Barford outlines different scenarios in this article. AFP Photo Department tweets: #MH370 - A relative of passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 speaks to the media in Beijing pic.twitter/pGlHSKaqI1 11:18 Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott vowed to solve the riddle surrounding the missing plane. Watch his interview here. 11:05 To recap: Malaysias acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said during the media briefing earlier: It must be emphasised that we cannot tell whether the potential objects are from MH370. Nevertheless, this is another new lead that will help direct the search operation. 10:59 Malaysias acting transport minister also said the investigation into what happened on board the flight is now a truly international effort. 10:58 To recap: Malaysias acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said during a media briefing earlier that 12 planes and two ships will be travelling to the search area in the southern Indian Ocean. He also said that Malaysia Airlines was now taking a lead in communicating with the families and is conducting their own press conferences. Reporter for Channel NewsAsia, Jackson Board tweets: Cracking sunset at Pearce Air Force Base. Waiting for aircraft to slowly start arriving back from ocean search #MH370 pic.twitter/dofemyK80I 10:34 Malaysias acting transport minister said that Australia has divided the search area in the southern Indian Ocean into two sectors. A P8 Poseidon from the US is among those conducting the search in the west sector, Hishammuddin Hussein says. 10:25 Investigators are narrowing the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which is unfolding in one of the most remote ocean regions on Earth. More about the international search effort here. Australian Maritime Safety Authority tweets: None distinctive of #MH370 or satellite imagery. 2/2 Australian Maritime Safety Authority tweets: 3 objects spotted in #MH370 search. Civil a/craft spotted 2 objects-likely rope. NZ P3K-a blue object. None relocated on further passes.1/2 10:07 To recap: Malaysias acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said 122 potential objects had been seen around 2,557km from Perth based on new French satellite images. He called it a new lead but said investigators did not know whether it was linked to the missing plane. 09:57 From the media briefing: Australia has divided the search area into two sectors, East and West. 09:57 From the media briefing by Hishammuddin Hussein : Of the 122 potential objects, some were 1m in length, others were as much as 23m in length. Some of the objects appeared to be bright, possibly indicating solid materials. 09:53 We have now had four separate satellite leads, from Australia, China and France, showing possible debris. It is now imperative that we link the debris to MH370. This will enable us to further reduce the search area, and locate more debris from the plane, he added. 09:52 Hishammuddin Hussein said: It must be emphasised that we cannot tell whether the potential objects are from MH370. Nevertheless, this is another new lead that will help direct the search operation. 09:50 From the media briefing: The search area has now been divided into two areas. 09:49 Malaysias acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says Malaysian officials have met with the special Chinese envoy on Wednesday. The envoy also received a comprehensive update from the international technical team, he adds. 09:48 The satellite images from France were taken on 23 March, the minister said. 09:47 The 122 objects were located around 2557km from Perth, Malaysias acting transport minister said. 09:46 However, we cannot tell if the objects spotted are from MH370, Hishammuddin Hussein said. 09:44 Satellite images from France show 122 objects in the waters of the southern Indian Ocean near the search zone, acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says. One object is up to 23m in length, he added. 09:43 Malaysias acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says the Chinese ship Xue Long has been deployed to the east sector of the search area. 09:40 Malaysias acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says they have received new satellite images. 09:38 The regular press briefing on the missing Malaysia Airlines plane is underway. 09:31 Chinas special envoy to Malaysia, Zhang Yesui, has called for unremitting efforts over the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, Reuters news agency says, citing Chinese state media. Mr Zhang met Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency says. The Times of India says: Malaysian flight MH370 passenger Chandrika Sharmas husband writes - I feel comforted, energised and renewed by messages of solidarity. AllInfographics tweets: The Internets Search for MH370, Visualized [Infographic] 09:11 The BBCs John Sudworth in Beijing says there have been complaints from relatives of passengers on the missing plane about the support being offered by Malaysia Airlines. He said: A recent message posted on the families official internet blog suggests there are problems contacting the hundreds of volunteers and caregivers reportedly sent to Beijing. Are they all lost too, the message asks. 08:55 Waiting for news has been hard on the relatives of passengers on the missing plane. Daniel Tan tells the BBCs Alastair Leithead that the ordeal had been the worst two weeks of his life. Watch his interview here. 08:33 Najib Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia tweets: Had a meeting w/ PRCs Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Zhang Yesui at Parliament earlier today #MH370 08:38 The family members of the passengers on the plane are being given a technical briefing at the Lido hotel in Beijing. The BBCs John Sudworth interviewed Steven Wang, a representative of the family members committee, before the briefing started. Mr Wang said he would listen to the briefing, but that he thought they will lie again. None of the family members had plans to travel to Perth yet, he added. Nobody told us we could go to Australia. 08:24 Australian authorities say this maritime surveillance operation is one of the biggest ever seen, the BBCs Phil Mercer reports. He sent this report from the Pearce air base near Perth. 08:16 South Korea is one of the countries contributing planes to Wednesdays search. This South Korean Air Force P-3 Orion has left RAAF Pearce air base and is on its way to the search area. 08:07 Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has vowed to solve the riddle surrounding the disappearance of flight MH370. You can watch a clip of him speaking on Australian television here. 07:56 This chart from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority shows the cumulative areas searched for debris in the southern Indian Ocean. 07:51 Little is known about the topography of the seabed in the search area, David Ferreira, an oceanographer at the UKs University of Reading, says. We know much more about the surface of the moon than we do about the ocean floor in that part of the Indian Ocean. 07:30 Chinese media are playing down the families protest outside the Malaysian embassy on Tuesday, with one major daily carrying no news of the protest at all. They are also criticising Malaysias handling of the crisis, with one newspaper describing the authorities as unprofessional and passive. Read more from our China media round up here. 07:23 Jonathan Head - BBC News, Pearce air base The United States navy has flown in specialist underwater detection equipment, which will be used to try to locate the flight recorders - but that can only happen when the wreckage of the Boeing airliner is found, and it will still be several days before the ship carrying these detectors reaches the search zone. 07:15 Search teams will want to make the most of Wednesdays good weather. On Thursday, conditions in the search area are expected to deteriorate again, with a cold front bringing thunderstorms and strong winds. 07:07 To recap: A total of 12 planes are being sent to the southern Indian Ocean to search for possible debris from flight MH370. 06:56 Many relatives of those on the plane feel torn about the search. We want to know the truth, but we are afraid the debris of the plane should be found, Wang Chunjiang, whose brother was on the plane, said. If they find debris, then our last hope would be dashed. 06:46 China has sent a special envoy, Zhang Yesui, to Malaysia. Mr Zhang has met Malaysian PM Najib Razak to discuss handling of the missing plane, Xinhua news agency reports. 06:33 Australian Maritime Safety Authority tweets: Seven aircraft now in #MH370 search area. Another four aircraft en route. 06:27 Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott called for a moment of silence in parliament earlier on Wednesday for the passengers on the missing plane. He said: Madam Speaker we mourn all those 239 passengers and crew. We especially mourn the six Australian citizens and one Australian resident that must be assumed dead and we grieve with their families and their loved-ones. 06:18 The BBCs John Sudworth in Beijing says a briefing of the families of passengers on board the missing plane is due to begin soon. 06:14 How did officials narrow the search area for the missing plane? British firm Inmarsats Chris McLaughlin told the BBC that they studied electronic pings or handshakes sent from the plane. Watch his interview here. The BBCs science correspondent, Jonathan Amos, has more detail here. 05:56 Chinese officials on Tuesday urged Malaysia to provide detailed and accurate information about the missing plane, Xinhua news agency said. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Malaysia should continue the co-ordination of international search efforts. Most of the passengers on the missing plane were Chinese nationals. 05:46 Attention has focused on pilot Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and his co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid following the planes disappearance. Mr Shah, a veteran pilot, joined Malaysia Airlines in 1981 and logged 18,000 hours of flying experience. Mr Hamid joined Malaysia Airlines in 2007 at the age of 20, but only recently began co-piloting the Boeing 777. Read more about them here. 05:35 To recap: A multinational search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane is now focused on a remote area of ocean some 1,500 miles (2,500km) to the south-west of the Australian city of Perth. 05:27 Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya described the pilot and co-pilots records as quite exemplary. When asked if the pilot flew the Malaysia Airlines plane into the ocean, he said: We dont know. 05:20 Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya spoke with the BBCs Alastair Leithead on Tuesday. When asked if he was standing down from his post, he said it was a personal decision that he would consider later. We have things to do now, he said. Watch his interview here. 05:12 Some relatives of the passengers are refusing to accept their deaths until concrete evidence is found. How do you mourn a missing person? The BBCs Tanvi Misra seeks answers here. Australian Maritime Safety Authority tweets: Four Chinese ships are now in #MH370 search area with HMAS Success. Five aircraft on scene. 04:59 Australias federal parliament has held a moments silence to honour those on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. 04:56 Three Chinese warships have reached their target search area, around 1,100 nautical miles (2,000km) west of Perth, Xinhua news agency reports. Xinhua news agency tweets: Crew members of Chinese icebreaker Xuelong scan the sea to search for #MH370 pic.twitter/2NBXEpoX7J 04:44 Tuesdays demonstrations were highly unusual in China, where public street protests are illegal. However, correspondents say there are no signs so far of further protests. The BBCs Celia Hatton in Beijing was at Tuesdays demonstrations and sent this report. 04:39 On Tuesday, grieving relatives of the passengers staged a protest outside the Malaysian embassy in Beijing. One of the placards pictured reads We wont give up - we will wait here. 04:35 Tony Abbott told Australias parliament he is confident that some debris from the plane will be recovered, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. He also said: The crash zone is about as close to nowhere as its possible to be but its closer to Australia than anywhere else. 04:21 The search could be complicated by a chain of undersea volcanoes that run through the search area, because magma from the volcanoes constantly reshape the sea floor, AFP news agency reports. The underwater floor is rugged, its covered in faults, fine-scale gullies and ridges, Robin Beaman, an underwater geology expert, told the agency. 04:12 On Tuesday, Mr Abbott said that visa fees for relatives of those on the plane would be waived if they wanted to visit Australia, where the search is being co-ordinated. Its just an unspeakable time for these people and if they want to come to Australia well make them welcome. 04:04 Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says: Were throwing everything we have at this search... We owe it to the families, we owe it to an anxious world to do everything we can to finally locate some wreckage and to do whatever we can to solve the riddle of this extraordinarily ill-fated flight. 03:55 This Royal Australia Air Force P3 Orion is on its way to the search area, which is around 1,500 miles (2,500km) to the south-west of Australian city Perth. A Chinese Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft and a Royal New Zealand Air Force plane have also departed. 03:48 Flights are being staggered to maximise time in the search area, the BBCs Phil Mercer in Perth reports. The planes will go up and down their assigned areas, flying in a zigzag pattern, during the search. 03:37 Vigils have been held around the world for those on board flight MH370. The BBCs Jennifer Pak went to one vigil in Malaysia, where she spoke to a friend of the planes captain. 03:24 Malaysian officials say it must be assumed that the plane crashed, with no survivors. However, many relatives of the passengers are refusing to give up hope. We dont know what to do. We dont know who to believe, Daniel Tan, whose brother was on the plane, told the BBC. What they say is not backed up by proof. Its just based on satellite data. 03:15 The Chinese icebreaker Xuelong (pictured here) has arrived near the point where the Chinese planes reported possible debris on Monday, Xinhua news agency reports. 03:12 Australia has been co-ordinating the search in the southern Indian Ocean since 17 March. On Monday, Chinese and Australian planes reported seeing possible debris. However, search efforts were paused on Tuesday due to adverse weather conditions. 02:54 Twelve aircraft have been tasked with looking for possible debris in the search area, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) says in a statement. Three search planes have departed so far. 02:47 Welcome to our live page on the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which has been resumed after weather conditions in the southern Indian Ocean improved. BBC © 2014
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 12:50:34 +0000
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