No let-up in search ops for missing plane, says Hisham
SEPANG: There will be no letup in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 aircraft since last Saturday.
The search and rescue operations (SAR) which entered the sixth day, saw the authorities expanding the search and rescue area.
Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein who held a press conference to announce the progress on the missing aircraft said as of now there was no sighting of objects or items related directly to the missing aircraft.
Hishammuddin, who is also the Defence Minister, said the only clue currently on the table is where the authorities are focusing, which is the two areas — South China Sea and the Strait of Melaka.
He said the SAR areas would be expanded as long as there are no debris or indication of the aircraft found during the operation.
“We will inform you where and when,” he said adding that more countries were expected to be involved in the SAR due to the expansion of the search area.
Currently, the countries involved in the SAR are China and Vietnam, with Thailand and Indonesia expected to join the operation.
Hishammuddin said currently 43 ships and 40 aircraft were involved in the SAR with 26 ships and 25 aircraft deployed in the South China Sea and 17 ships and 15 aircraft in the Strait of Melaka.
“We are grateful for the assistance from around the world. With every passing day, the task becomes more difficult. As always, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those on the flight,” he said.
MAS Flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing about an hour after taking off from the KL International Airport at 12.41am on March 8. It should have landed in Beijing at 6.30am the same day.
We are grateful for the assistance from around the world. With every passing day, the task becomes more difficult. As always, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those on the flight. Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, acting Transport Minister
Hishammuddin also stressed that Malaysia had never slowed down the search operation for the missing aircraft.
“Some claim that Malaysia had slowed down the search. That is not true. In fact, we have intensified the search. Again, let me be clear, there is no real precedence for a situation like this. The plane vanished and we extended the search area because it is our duty to follow every lead. We owe it to the families. And we will not give up,” he said.
Hishammuddin said he had also proposed that the military conduct a technical briefing for the media tomorrow so as to ensure a better understanding of the technical capabilities of assets deployed in the SAR operation by Malaysia and other foreign countries.
To a question, Hishammuddin said he had full confidence in Malaysia’s commercial and military radar system.
“... I do, and now it had been verified by the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
However, he said the search operation was not just about Malaysian assets as it involved other countries as well.
“We are talking about sophisticated assets deployed by the US and China. So to say that it’s just on our shoulder is unfair because of the overwhelming support and unprecedented efforts on a multinational level. That is something we need to be proud of, though the need to find the aircraft,” he added. — Bernama