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Australia May Expand Search for Jet Australia May Expand Search for Jet
(about 9 hours later)
SYDNEY, Australia — Australian authorities are likely to widen the underwater search for wreckage from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 after an unmanned search vehicle has so far failed to find any trace of the missing jet on the seabed in a remote patch of the Indian Ocean, officials said Saturday. SYDNEY, Australia — Australian authorities are likely to widen the underwater search for wreckage from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 because an unmanned search vehicle has so far failed to find any trace of the missing jet on the seabed in a remote patch of the Indian Ocean, officials said Saturday.
The Joint Agency Coordination Center said in a statement that the vehicle, the submersible Bluefin-21, had searched 95 percent of an area around where the authorities had detected the last acoustic ping believed to have come from the jet, which disappeared on March 8 with 239 people on board. “No contacts of interest have been found to date,” the statement said.The Joint Agency Coordination Center said in a statement that the vehicle, the submersible Bluefin-21, had searched 95 percent of an area around where the authorities had detected the last acoustic ping believed to have come from the jet, which disappeared on March 8 with 239 people on board. “No contacts of interest have been found to date,” the statement said.
Launched from the Australian naval vessel Ocean Shield, the Bluefin-21 scoured the seabed in a circle with a radius of 6.2 miles around that last ping, which was believed to have come from the plane’s black box data recorders.Launched from the Australian naval vessel Ocean Shield, the Bluefin-21 scoured the seabed in a circle with a radius of 6.2 miles around that last ping, which was believed to have come from the plane’s black box data recorders.
“If no contacts of interest are made, Bluefin-21 will continue to examine the areas adjacent” to the 6.2-mile radius area, the statement said. No mention was made of other changes to the search, or the use of alternative deep-sea equipment that might be better able to scan the seabed, which is up to 2.8 miles in depth. “If no contacts of interest are made, Bluefin-21 will continue to examine the areas adjacent” to the 6.2-mile radius area, the statement said. No mention was made of other changes to the search, or the use of alternative deep-sea equipment that might be better able to scan the seabed, which is up to 2.8 miles below the surface.
The Bluefin-21 is deployed about 1,000 miles off the coast of the state of Western Australia, around an area that the authorities had calculated as most likely to yield some sign of the plane, possibly resting in deep silt. On Friday, before completing its 13th mission, the vehicle was forced to return to the ocean’s surface because of technical problems, which were resolved overnight.The Bluefin-21 is deployed about 1,000 miles off the coast of the state of Western Australia, around an area that the authorities had calculated as most likely to yield some sign of the plane, possibly resting in deep silt. On Friday, before completing its 13th mission, the vehicle was forced to return to the ocean’s surface because of technical problems, which were resolved overnight.
Despite the searches above and below the surface of the Indian Ocean, no debris that can be linked to Flight 370 has been found. Searchers have scoured thousands of miles of ocean in the 50 days since the plane went missing. Despite the searches above and below the surface of the Indian Ocean, no debris that can be linked to Flight 370 has been found. Searchers have scoured thousands of miles of ocean in the 50 days since the plane disappeared.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott of Australia has described the fate of the flight as an enduring mystery. The jet disappeared after turning sharply off course on a routine flight between Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, and Beijing, inexplicably heading south and out into a remote part of the Indian Ocean, far from Australia’s west coast.Prime Minister Tony Abbott of Australia has described the fate of the flight as an enduring mystery. The jet disappeared after turning sharply off course on a routine flight between Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, and Beijing, inexplicably heading south and out into a remote part of the Indian Ocean, far from Australia’s west coast.
The strongest and only leads to the plane’s whereabouts in the time since it dropped off radar screens have been four acoustic signals detected on April 5 and April 8, as Ocean Shield towed a batwing shaped pinger locator, or underwater microphone, below the surface of the ocean. The strongest and only leads to the plane’s whereabouts in the time since it dropped off radar screens have been four acoustic signals detected on April 5 and April 8, as Ocean Shield towed a batwing-shaped pinger locator, or underwater microphone, below the surface of the ocean.
The Bluefin-21 was deployed days after the last acoustic signal was detected and after the authorities surmised that the batteries on the flight’s data recorders had most likely died, leaving no chance that further signals would be heard.The Bluefin-21 was deployed days after the last acoustic signal was detected and after the authorities surmised that the batteries on the flight’s data recorders had most likely died, leaving no chance that further signals would be heard.
Mr. Abbott told reporters on Wednesday that the probable impact zone is about 435 miles long, and about 50 miles wide, based on the detections from the black box recorder. The Bluefin was searching an area of about 154 square miles.Mr. Abbott told reporters on Wednesday that the probable impact zone is about 435 miles long, and about 50 miles wide, based on the detections from the black box recorder. The Bluefin was searching an area of about 154 square miles.
“We have not finished the search,” Mr. Abbott said Wednesday. “We have not found anything yet in the area we are searching. But the point I make is that Australia will not rest until we have done everything we humanly can to get to the bottom of this mystery.”“We have not finished the search,” Mr. Abbott said Wednesday. “We have not found anything yet in the area we are searching. But the point I make is that Australia will not rest until we have done everything we humanly can to get to the bottom of this mystery.”
On Saturday, officials said that as the Bluefin-21 was completing its underwater task, eight military aircraft and 11 ships were searching 22,127 square miles looking for debris on the surface of the ocean.On Saturday, officials said that as the Bluefin-21 was completing its underwater task, eight military aircraft and 11 ships were searching 22,127 square miles looking for debris on the surface of the ocean.