MH370 search widens from Perth to Kazakhstan
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Flight MH370 could have flown as far as Kazakhstan or Perth, it has been revealed.
Following two days of reports from US sources – previously denied by Malaysian authorities – that the aircraft was in the air far longer than previously thought, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak finally confirmed on Friday that the aircraft was deliberately flown off course, and could have been in the air more than seven hours after it left Kuala Lumpur.
“Based on new satellite information, we can say with a high degree of certainty that the aircraft communications… system was disabled just before the aircraft reached the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia,” the PM told reporters in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
“Shortly after, near the border between Malaysia and Vietnamese air traffic control, the aircraft’s transponder was switched off. From this point onwards… radar data showed that an aircraft believed, but not confirmed, to be MH370, did indeed turn back. It then flew in a westerly direction back over Peninsular Malaysia before turning northwest.
“These movements are consistent with the deliberate action of someone on the plane,” the PM added.
This appears to confirm the last placement of the aircraft given by Malaysia’s air force chief, Rodzali Daud, who said last week that the Boeing 777 had been detected over Pulau Perak, in the northern Malacca Strait. He later denied confirming it was flight MH370.
Prime Minister Razak went on to say that the investigation was now focusing on “two possible corridors”; one stretching from the northern borders of Thailand, across western China and into Central Asia, and the other arcing down from the southern tip Sumatra, past Western Australia and into the southern Indian Ocean.
Malaysia Airlines defended not revealing its satellite data sooner.
“Given the nature of the situation and its extreme sensitivity, it was critical that the raw satellite signals were verified and analysed by the relevant authorities so that their significance could be properly understood. This naturally took some time, during which we were unable to publicly confirm their existence,” the airline said in a statement.
“We remain absolutely committed to sharing confirmed information with family members and the wider public in a fully open and transparent manner,” it added.
It was also reported by Reuters that police have searched the home of MH370’s pilot, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah. A 53-year-old Malaysian national, Captain Zaharie has worked with the national carrier since 1981 and has more than 18,000 hours’ flying time.
Meanwhile, media speculation into the whereabouts of flight MH370 continued, with several British newspaper reporting the plane could have landed on the Andaman Islands, and Bloomberg cited US officials as saying the “most likely” last-known position was about 1,600km west of Perth.
China ratchets up pressure
The Chinese government has ratcheted up the pressure on Malaysia to find flight MH370, more than a week after the aircraft went missing.
Responding to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s revelations on Friday that the Boeing 777 was still in the air more than seven hours after it left Kuala Lumpur, China urged Malaysia to provide “thorough and correct information” about the missing plane.
“It is the eighth day since MH370 lost contact with its radar signal and time is life,” said Qin Gang, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry. “We urge Malaysia to expand and define the search area for the missing plane and increase the intensity of the search.”
Two thirds of the people onboard flight MH370 were Chinese nationals.
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