Debris find ‘real boost’ to Australian MH370 searchers

7 August 2015 06:30 pm - 0 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A A A

AFP - The discovery of a Boeing 777 wing part on a remote Indian Ocean island was a “real boost” to experts scouring treacherous seas for missing plane MH370, Australia’s search chief said yesterday.

The Malaysia Airlines passenger jet vanished on March 8 last year en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board, and its disappearance remains one of aviation’s great mysteries.

A wing part, called a flaperon, washed up on the French territory of Reunion island last week, and experts believe it possible that the wreckage could have been carried there from the current search site.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has “conclusively confirmed” the flaperon was from MH370, while French prosecutors and the Australian government have been more cautious in declaring a definite connection.

But Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), the agency leading the search, said that the ATSB was working on the assumption that the wing part was linked to MH370.

“It gave a real boost to the teams that are out there searching and our people in Canberra and Perth,” the search chief told AFP of the find.

“It’s a reinforcement that we are doing the right thing. As you know, they are a very committed team, but this gave them a real boost and they remained really focused on finding that missing aircraft.”

After reviewing their data -- including the use of drift modelling to map out where debris might have floated -- Dolan said the team was confident the current search zone, about 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) from Reunion Island where the two-metre-long piece was found, was correct.

The site of the probe -- jointly funded by Australia and Malaysia with a budget of more than Aus$100 million (US$74 million) -- is so remote that it takes the ships up to six days to reach it from the Australian port of Fremantle where they routinely refuel and restock.

While there has been hope that examination of the flaperon could yield some insights into how the plane might have entered the water, Dolan said any analysis would not change the debris search.

“We didn’t need to take account of how the plane might have hit the water. That really only affects the quantity of debris,” Dolan said, adding that even in scenarios where a plane had a very hard entry into the water, its engines would “remain largely intact”.

“The more likely case -- that it landed a bit less hard than that -- there’s going to be large pieces of the airframe intact so they are easier to detect with the techniques we’re using,” he said.

Order Gifts and Flowers to Sri Lanka. See Kapruka's top selling online shopping categories such as Toys, Grocery, Kids Toys, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Clothing and Electronics. Also see Kapruka's unique online services such as Money Remittence,Astrology, Courier/Delivery, Medicine Delivery and over 700 top brands. Also get products from Amazon & Ebay via Kapruka Gloabal Shop into Sri Lanka

Comments - 0

Add comment
Comments will be edited (grammar, spelling and slang) and authorized at the discretion of Daily Mirror online. The website also has the right not to publish selected comments.

Debris find ‘real boost’ to Australian MH370 searchers

Comments - 0

Add comment

RECOMMENDED

‘Spike in blast fishing’ poses renewed threats to Sri Lanka’s marine ecosystems

UDA owned land in Thalawathugoda; UDA Minister Prasanna Ranatunga under the spotlight for forceful occupation of reserved land

Loss-making SMIB faces political pressure in recovering loans

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: MV Dali, SL authorities anchored in mystery?

Has Sri Lanka become a potential hub for the illegal wildlife trade?

Spotlight on Moragahakanda Development Project Moragolla villagers lose livelihoods and down to one meal a day

Ambitious Sri Lankan jobseekers ‘trafficked into Ukraine war zones’

Most Viewed in News

New Visa procedure implemented

Ranil Wickremesinghe caravan moves on despite barking dogs

SL on alert on possible genocide allegations by Canada

Racing event tragedy leaves seven dead including eight-year-old child

Sri Lankan among NASA’s new crew for next simulated Mars journey

Complaint lodged over Piumi Hansamali's possession of Gota’s Range Rover

MIRROR CRICKET

Is Chamari Athapaththu Sri Lanka’s greatest cricketer ever?

Athapaththu back atop ICC Women’s ODI Batting Rankings

Chamari Athapaththu sets big goal for T20 World Cup

How does CSK get best out of Pathirana?

TODAY'S HEADLINES

SL took minimal steps to punish officials who committed human rights abuses: US report

Iranian President’s visit Sri Lanka withstands western pressure

25 tons of solid waste disposed along Sri Pada route

Temperature rises to ‘Caution’ level

Sri Lanka secures third spot in South Asian Kurash Championship 2024

Athapaththu back atop ICC Women’s ODI Batting Rankings

Army forms committee to probe Diyatalawa Fox Hill Supercross accident

Indian cricket manager indicted for Legend Cricket League match-fixing allegations