MH370: Indian Ocean search area expanded
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The team scouring the Indian Ocean for flight MH370 has expanded its search area.
Addressing a news conference on Monday (5 May 2014), Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said the “new phase” of the investigation, as outlined last week by PM Tony Abbott, would “be focused on intensifying the ocean floor search over a much larger area”.
“One of the key elements of the next stage will be to undertake more detailed oceanographic mapping of the search area. Much of this area has never been mapped, and so it will require a significant effort for us to understand the ocean floor in that area,” Truss said. “[We will] start surveying this prospective search area over the next four to six weeks.”
To date, the Indian Ocean search has covered more than 4.6 million square kilometres of ocean using 29 aircraft and 14 ships. “Unfortunately,” Truss admitted, “all of that effort has found nothing.”
The underwater search vessel Bluefin-21 has already covered 400km², and Truss said the new phase of the search will “take it out a little wider”.
Meanwhile, the Australian Navy search vessel Ocean Shield returned to port in Western Australia on Monday, to replenish supplies. But the ship, which had been at sea for 35 days, will return to the Indian Ocean this week to continue with the underwater search effort using Bluefin-21.
The US Navy will also continue supporting the Bluefin-21’s search efforts for approximately four more weeks.
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