Hopes of a breakthrough in the search for MH370 are likely to be frustrated by another day of bad weather.
Last night, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority tweeted that poor conditions were expected in the search zone for the next 24 hours.
“Ships staying in search area & will attempt to continue searching but all planes returning,” AMSA tweeted.
A Thai satellite has spotted another 300 floating objects ranging from two to 16 metres in length, about 2700 kilometres southwest of Perth.
“But we cannot — dare not — confirm they are debris from the plane,” said Anond Snidvongs, director of Thailand’s space technology development agency.
Relatives of the 239 people aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 expressed their frustration about yet another satellite discovery that has not been backed up by the recovery of any debris.
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“Until something is picked up and analysed to make sure it’s from MH370 we can’t believe it, but without anything found it’s just clues,’’ Steve Wang, whose 57-year-old mother was aboard the flight, said in Beijing.
“Without that, it’s useless.”
The families’ anger has not diminished this week; the Straits Times reported that Malaysian authorities infuriated passengers’ loved ones by telling them at a briefing this week that there was “sealed evidence that cannot be made public” in relation to the missing flight.
“The sealed evidence included air traffic control radio transcript, radar data and airport security recordings,” the paper reported.
The remarks by Malaysian authorities — made at the Metropark Lido Hotel in Beijing — have not been reported widely by other newspapers, despite being widely shared on social media.
Family ... a woman breaks into tears as she places a paper crane as a symbol for hope and healing during a ceremony in memory of passengers on board the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight. Picture: AP Source: AP
THE LATEST SATELLITE IMAGES
The new pictures were taken by Thailand’s only earth observation satellite on Monday but took several days to process and were relayed to Malaysian authorities on Wednesday.
The discovery was reported less than 24 hours after the Malaysian government revealed 122 objects had been seen about 2557 kilometres from Perth, ranging in length from one metre to 23 metres.
It’s unknown whether the satellites detected the same objects; currents in the ocean can run a meter per second (about 2.2mph) and wind also could move material.
Thailand faced criticism after announcing more than a week after the jet’s disappearance on March 8 that its radar had picked up an “unknown aircraft” minutes after flight MH370 last transmitted its location.
The Thai air force said it did not report the findings earlier as the plane was not considered a threat.
The Malaysia Airlines plane is presumed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean with 239 people on board after mysteriously diverting from its Kuala Lumpur-Beijing path and apparently flying for hours in the opposite direction.
Blue skies but fading hopes ... RAAF Flight Lieutenant Russell Adams looks out from the cockpit. Picture: Paul KaneSource: AFP
CHALLENGES OF THE SEARCH
Thunderstorms and gale-force winds grounded the international air search for wreckage on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the specialist visual spotters who have spent countless hours searching the vast Indian Ocean for signs of the missing plane are battling fatigue and tricks of the mind.
For all the fancy technology on board the planes and vessels scouring the swirling waters, the best tool searchers have are their own eyes — but they can play tricks or blink at the wrong moment.
Fighting fatigue ... a RAAF crew member looks out of his observation window while searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 over the Indian Ocean. Picture: AP Source: AP
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“Thinking about that is what keeps you going over what can be really, really long and quite dull missions at times,’’says one searcher. “Is it going to be behind this next wave?’’
“You might be looking for a single canoe in the vastness of the Pacific and we do find them.
“So there is always hope.’’
Remembered ... a woman takes a photo of a screen showing candles lit for relatives of passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in the Metro Park Lido Hotel in Beijing. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
-News.com.au
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