MH370: Indian Ocean search area “not final resting place”
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The area of the Indian Ocean where flight MH370 is believed to have crashed was not the aircraft’s “final resting place”, investigators have said.
The Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) revealed today (29 May 2014) that the Bluefin-21 underwater search vessel has now completed its mission in the area where acoustic signals detected in early April, but has failed to detect any sign of the missing aircraft.
“The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has advised that the search in the vicinity of the acoustic detections can now be considered complete and in its professional judgement, the area can now be discounted as the final resting place of MH370,” the JACC said in a statement.
The Ocean Shield ship which has been operating Bluefin-21 is now making its way back to Australia, where it is expected to arrive on Saturday.
The JACC added however, that the search for MH370 will continue in “three major stages”. These include reviewing all existing information in an effort to define a new search zone; conducting a survey to map the sea floor; and acquiring specialist services to undertake a search of the sea floor.
“The expert satellite working group continues to review and refine complex analyses of radar and satellite data and aircraft performance data to determine where the aircraft most likely entered the water. The findings of the review will be made public in due course,” the JACC said.
A Chinese survey ship has already begun mapping the ocean floor, and will be joined by a second survey vessel in June. This surveying process is expected to take about three months. The underwater search will begin in August and could take up to 12 months.
Flight MH370 went missing on 8 March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew onboard.
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