At least 30 contacts of potential interest in the search for MH370 that have been detected on the floor of the south Indian Ocean are about to be resurveyed by deeper, sharper sonar scans.
In its weekly search update the JACC* says checking the “objects” more closely now will speed up the overall search by eliminating (or confirming) objects that would otherwise remain unchecked until winter sea conditions abate to deploy the highly capable Norwegian AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle) which has been in storage for five months.
On July 29th, we were informed by the French authorities that part of an aircraft wing had been found on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean which turned out to be from the missing aircraft. This discovery served to further prove that the aircraft did disappear in the Indian Ocean and that the search area, whilst large, was indeed accurate.
As announced in April, the search area was expanded beyond an original 60,000 square kilometre search area up to 120,000 square kilometres to ensure the area is searched as quickly and effectively as possible despite unfavourable weather conditions. Since its disappearnace in March 2013, weather has constantly hampered the search mission..
In the event the aircraft is found and accessible, Australia, Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China have agreed to plans for recovery activities including securing all the evidence necessary for the accident investigation.
*Jacc
On 30 March 2014, the Prime Minister of Australia, established the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) to coordinate the Australian Government’s support for the search into missing flight MH370.
The JACC is the coordination point for whole-of-Australian Government information, messaging and stakeholder engagement, including keeping the families of those onboard and the general public informed of the progress of the search.
The JACC continues working closely with the Government of Malaysia, which under international law has overall responsibility for the search.
The JACC does not perform any search, recovery or investigation activities. These activities remain the responsibility of the expert agencies.
