Australia finds possible MH370 debris

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced on Thursday that objects possibly related to the search for the missing Malaysian flight MH370 had been found in the southern Indian Ocean.

A Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew lost all contact with air traffic control shortly after leaving Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur at 00:41 a.m. on March 8, and was expected to land in Beijing at 6:30 a.m.that same day.

Please stay tuned for our live updates.

[20:13] That’s all for the live blog today.

[20:11] Reuters: Norwegian car-carrier Hoegh St.Petersburg has reached the area in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia where two objects, possible MH370 debris,were spotted.

[20:07] Sydney Morning Herald: Fairfax Radio federal political reporter Frank Keany says the search will continue for another three hours.

[19:50] From BBC: Australia’s AP-3C Orion aircraft has landed in Perth after its crew were unable to find the debris. Watch BBC’s live coverage on debris spotted in airliner search

[19:49] From China.org.cn: The Chinese Navy fleets has headed for the South Indian Ocean this afternoon, after learning of the new discovery of suspected debris spotted near Australia, according to Chinese Navy spokesperson Liang Yang. The two fleets to join in the search and rescue mission are located some 2,300 and 3,100 nautical miles away from the estimated area.

[19:42] From China.org.cn: The research vessel “Snow Dragon,” Chinese vessel closest to the Australian sea area where the suspected debris was spotted, will head out to the area to join in the search and rescue mission.

The news was announced around 6:40 pm local Beijing time as 30 officials from the Chinese State Council, the Foreign Ministry, the Civil Aviation Administration, Beijing municipal government and other departments visited the Lido Hotel where relatives of those on board flight MH370 have been staying since the aircraft went missing 13 days ago.

[19:29] China’s Vice Foreign Minister Xie Hangsheng visited family members of the passengers on board the missing MH370 flight at Beijing’s Lido Hotel on March 20.

[19:28] From China.org.cn reporter Zhang Rui: Several relatives tearfully asked the officials: “Malaysia has been lying. What should we do?” China’s Vice Foreign Minister Xie Hangsheng said, “You should believe China is not what it used to be; no one can play tricks on us now.”

[19:27] From China.org.cn reporter Zhang Rui: A host of high-ranking Chinese officials visited family members of the passengers on board the missing MH370 flight at Beijing’s Lido Hotel on March 20.

[19:13] From China.org.cn: The vessel is currently located more than 1,000 nautical miles away from Australia’s Perth port, and more than 2,000 nautical miles away from China’s designated area in the international search mission. It may take at least five days for the vessel to arrive in the area.

[19:12] From China.org.cn: China is studying the possibility of drafting its research vessel “Snow Dragon” to the sea area where the suspected debris were spotted. The vessel can head out to the area as long as it receives the necessary data and instructions.

[19:11] From China.org.cn reporter Zhang Rui: Officials from China’s central government on March 20 visited family members of the passengers on board the missing flight MH370 at Beijing’s Lido Hotel where they have been waiting.

[18:32] To recap: Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March when it lost contact with air traffic controllers. A total of 239 people were on board.

[18:24] Australia’s AMSA shares new satellite images of unidentified objects.

One of images of unidentified objects shared by Australia’s AMSA.

[18:07] The news conference has ended.

[18:06] Highlights from the briefing and news conference hosted by acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein:

China is using 21 satellites in the search for the missing plane. Neighbouring countries like Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are also helping in the search.

· Search operations will continue in both southern and northern corridors, until it is confirmed that debris from the plane is found.

· Says he can confirm Malaysia will send two aircraft to Kazakhstan while UK is sending a ship to the northern corridor.

· High-level team will leave for Beijing today to meet with family members of passengers there.

· He says while there is a “credible lead”, it still needs to be verified, and while there is a lead, there is hope.

· Should debris be verified, he says the next step would be to locate the plane’s black box. Should that time arise, he says different assets would have to be deployed.

· Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman says they were informed of the possible sighting of the debris earlier today but is uncertain as to the exact time the satellite images were taken.

· Authorities have not ruled out possibility that a “catastropic event” had taken place onboard resulting decompression of the aircraft.

· PM’s special envoy, together with China’s ambassador to Malaysia, will lead a briefing for families from China today.

· He states that the Malaysian government “regrets” yesterday’s incident in which the distraught family members of Chinese passengers were forcibly removed from the press briefing room at the Sama-Sama hotel near KLIA, when trying to speak to the media.

[17:59] Malaysia Airlines chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya says,

[17:58] The transport minister says a “high-level” team is leaving for Beijing later.

[17:57] Malaysia’s civil aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman says the news of the debris was received earlier on Thursday. However, it is unclear when the satellite images were taken.

[17:55] Malaysia’s civil aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman says the news of the debris was received earlier on Thursday. However, it is unclear when the satellite images were taken. Watch BBC’s live coverage on debris spotted in airliner search

[17:47] Family members are watching news conference at the Lido Hotel, Beijing. A total of 154 missing passengers come from China.

Family members are watching news conference at the Lido Hotel, Beijing. A total of 154 missing passengers come from China. [Zhang Rui/China.org.cn]

[17:46] The Malaysian transport minister says the UK is sending a ship to help with the search in the southern air corridor.

[17:45] Mr Hussein says,

“Every effort is being made to locate objects seen in the satellite images.” He says it must be stressed these these images – while “credible” – may not be linked to to the missing plane.

[17:42] Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein tells the news conference four aircraft have been re-orientated to the search area.

[17:40] Malaysian officials are speaking at a news conference.

[17:31] From China.org.cn reporter Zhang Rui: A member of the Beijing Lawyers Association, which has set up a consulting team at the Lido Hotel where family members of the passengers on board the missing flight MH370 have been waiting, said,

Any subject of compensation liability can only be determined when the all obscurities surrounding the missing plane have been cleared up.

The subjects of liability may include Malaysia Airlines. If the final investigation report shows that any mechanical or human errors are to blame for the incident, the airplane manufacturer, engine manufacturer and the airport of departure may all be held accountable. If any criminal offense has been committed, the subjects will include those involved in the offense and those responsible for security.

The lawyers suggest the family members start up legal procedures when the situation’s final outcome has been confirmed.

[17:24] The US Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft is currently flying over the area where the objects were spotted. It is scanning both the surface of the water and underneath. Our correspondent says officials are expecting this search plane to give the first indication of whether the debris could be linked to the missing plane.

[17:00] From China.org.cn: Asked what it would mean if the detected pieces of debris turned out to belong to the missing flight MH370, Zhou Jisheng, an expert in the aviation industry and board member of China’s Guangdong Changsheng Aircraft Design Co., Ltd., said,

“It means it veered off its original path till it crashed. The farther it flew, the better. The longer it took the search teams to search, the better. It was intended to challenge both human intelligence and search capability.”

[16:58] Air Vice Marshal Kevin Short, who’s in charge of New Zealand’s role in the search efforts, spoke how the air search will be carried out. “The aircraft themselves have been tasked to do a radar and visual search. They will be flying at about 1,000ft (300m) above sea level… Whatever imagery is actually taken will be sent back to the rescue coordination centre for analysis.”
Nine News Brisbane tweets: One plane searching for missing @MAS flight #MH370 is due back at the #RAAF base Pearce outside #Perth shortly #9NewsAt6

[16:51] It could take up to 48 hours to confirm that debris spotted by satellite 2,500km southwest of Perth belongs to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, an expert said.

[16:32] From our reporter Zhang Rui: A man, who identified himself as Li and a father of a passenger on the missing plane, said he has been staying at the hotel for more than 10 days. He said his 4-year-old granddaughter would say “dad drowned in a plane crash.” The man said he had to hold the granddaughter at night, not knowing how he could live like that.

As to the newfound debris, he said the missing flight could have reached Beijing if it had flown that far.

He thought the pilots on the missing plane should have found an island to crash land the jet on if there was really an emergency. He said he didn’t really understand why the plane was heading toward Australia, but he hoped that was not the debris from the missing plane, otherwise there would be big trouble.

[16:19] No Chinese merchant ships are near the area of sea where the objects have been detected. The research vessel Snow Dragon is the nearest Chinese vessel to the area, about 1,000 nautical miles away.

[16:06] Australian Air Commodore John McGarry said it would take time to analyse the satellite images of the debris. He said,

 The task of analysing imagery is quite difficult, it requires drawing down frames and going through frame by frame.”

[15:53] ABC News tweets: UPDATE: US 7th Fleet spokesperson: Radar hits seen by US P-8 not believed linked to objects identified by Australians.

[15:39] Malaysia Airlines said it would not send family members of the passengers on board the missing MH370 or representatives of the airline to Australia, unless the objects are identified as belonging to the missing plane.

[15:32] The sea area where the pieces of debris have been detected is as deep as 3,000 meters and the sea conditions are complicated, making the search and salvage task difficult. It has not yet been confirmed whether the pieces of debris are related to flight MH370.

[15:25] Chinese family members of passengers from the missing MH370 have written their touching messages at the Lido Hotel in Beijing, praying for the safe return of their loved ones. They have been waiting at the hotel for 13 days. [Photo by Zhang Rui/China.org.cn]

[15:21] David Gallo, who co-led the search for Air France Flight 447 which crashed in 2009, said the debris found by Australia may be the tail section of the plane if it indeed belongs to the MH370, according to a report by CNN. The largest piece of debris is 24 meters long, while the height of a Boeing 777 tail is 60 feet (about 18.2 meters).

[15:19] David Gallo, who co-led the search for Air France Flight 447 which crashed in 2009, said the debris found by Australia may be the tail section of the plane if it indeed belongs to the MH370, according to a report by CNN. The largest piece of debris is 24 meters long, while the height of a Boeing 777 tail is 60 feet (about 18.2 meters).

[15:16]  The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) has just released satellite images that show the objects they are investigating.

[15:15] Our reporter Zhang Rui is arriving at the Lido Hotel in Beijing where families of flight MH370 passengers have stayed since the incident happened.

[15:14] Chinese relatives of passengers from the missing flight react as they wait for news at a hotel in Beijing. It’s now 13 days since the plane disappeared.

[15:06]  A reporter on board a U.S. P-8 aircraft searching for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 said Thursday that the crew have picked up radar signals of a large object in the Indian Ocean possibly linked to the missing plane.

The radar is getting “hits of significant size” and the crew are trying to get visuals on hits, U.S. broadcaster ABC said in a tweet quoting correspondent David Wright.

“All indications something down there,” added the tweet.

[15:01] China’s research vessel, the Snow Dragon, went past the sea area in question a week ago, in rough sea conditions, but did not find anything resembling the debris. The vessel is now refueling in the port of Perth and has not been given any mission instructions related to the search so far.

[13:57] As the latest developments unfold, the families of those missing continue to endure an agonising wait for news. Here relatives prepare for a news briefing at a hotel in Beijing.

[13:51] Australia is investigating two objects seen on satellite images that could potentially be linked to the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, officials say.

Planes and ships from Australia, New Zealand and the US were heading to the area 2,500km (1,550 miles) south-west of Perth to search for the objects.

[13:50] Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in relation to the debris found by Australia, “China is paying close attention to the information released by Australia and hopes Australia will send ships and airplanes to the area in question as soon as possible. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has already asked its embassy and consulates in Australia to keep in touch with their Australian counterparts and aid in the search mission. China is ready to make relevant arrangements according to the progress of the search.”

[13:49] Malaysia deploys six navy ships, three helicopters to join MH370 search in southern Indian Ocean, says official.

A Royal Australian Air Force tactical coordinator runs the search for flight MH370 in an AP-3C Orion. [Australian Defence Force:Hamish Paterson]

[13:40] Two images spotted by satellites that may be potential debris from a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner were “indistinct”, with the largest measuring 24 metres, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.

John Young, general manager of the emergency response division of AMSA, told reporters,

They are objects of a reasonable size and probably awash with water moving up and down over the surface.

[13:24] AMSA says US Poseidon aircraft is on the scene now; Australian and NZ planes to arrive later today.

 [13:23] AMSA says objects may not be related to MH370; more satellite images are being taken .

 [13:23] AMSA says it is “doing its level best” to find any possible survivors.

 [13:22] AMSA says largest object is about 24 meters across.

 [13:21] AMSA says it has satellite imagery of objects possibly linked to MH370 in southern Indian Ocean.

[13:16] Philip Wen, China correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper

tweets: Big flurry of activity on the WeChat group Chinese #MH370 passenger families have set up. Telling each other to keep calm.

[13:15] The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said that it’s Rescue Coordination Centre Australia (RCC Australia) will continue to coordinate a search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane MH370 in the Southern Indian Ocean within the Australian Search and Rescue Region. 

[13:14] From Fairfax’s China correspondent Philip Wen, from the Lido Hotel in Beijing where families of passengers on the missing plane have been gathering for news updates

The scanned version of the map released on March 19, 2014 by Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) shows the search area for the second day has been reduced to 300,000 square kilometers from 600,000 square kilometers a day before. The area is also closer to Western Australian coast.

 [13:11] Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced on Thursday that objects possibly related to the search for the missing Malaysian flight MH370 had been found in the southern Indian Ocean.

Addressing Parliament, Abbott said new satellite images show two possible objects in the ocean and an Australian Orion aircraft is on its way to the area.