(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) The search for a lost Malaysian airliner entered its 20th day Thursday, with 11 aircraft and five ships of a multi-national search team looking for the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft in the treacherous waters of the southern Indian Ocean where it is believed to have gone down according to Malaysia's News "Bernama". The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said in a statement that the search was split into two areas within the same proximity covering a cumulative 78,000 sq km. "Weather in the search area is expected to deteriorate later today," the statement added. AMSA said two Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion, a Chinese Ilyushin IL-76, a Japanese Gulfstream jet, a US Navy P-8 Poseidon and a Japanese P-3 Orion would fly sorties throughout the day. "Five civil aircraft were scheduled to depart (Perth in Australia) between 9.30 am and 11 am (same time as in Malaysia). A Japan Coast Guard ultra-long range jet will depart at around 2 pm. A US Navy P-8 Poseidon is scheduled to depart around 4 pm. A Japanese P3 Orion is scheduled to depart around 5 pm," the statement said. The Australian vessel, HMAS Success, had remained in the search area about 2,500km southwest of Perth, AMSA said, adding that it was now joined by four Chinese ships - Xue Long, Kunlunshan, Haikou and Qiandaohu - in the search area. Chinese nationals made up 154 of the 227 passengers on board the lost Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370 that vanished from radar screens nearly an hour after taking off from the KL International Airport in Sepang at 12.41 am on March 8 en route to Beijing. A multinational search was mounted for the aircraft, first in the South China Sea and then over a large tract of land and sea west of Malaysia, including the Indian Ocean, when it was learned that the plane had veered off far from its original course. Following an unprecedented analysis method using satellite data, satellite company Inmarsat and Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) concluded that Flight MH370 flew along the southern corridor and that its last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth. Based on that information, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced last Monday that Flight MH370 "ended in the southern Indian Ocean".
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.