Missing MH370: Malaysia quashes rumours that search ship finding plane went missing; says it’s in Australia
Malaysia on Thursday quashed rumours swirling after a ship searching for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared from tracking screens, saying it had simply made a refuelling stop in Australia and would resume the hunt.
The Seabed Constructor, hired in January for a fresh search for the missing plane, turned off its location transponder for three days without explanation early this month, sparking a slew of speculation, including that it had gone on a treasure hunt.
“There is nothing to be worried about. We urge family members not to listen to rumours or fake news,” Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai told AFP.
He said the Seabed Constructor “is doing fine” and that “the search will continue as planned”.
MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people — mostly from China — on board while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
An earlier Australia-led search — the largest-ever in aviation history — scoured 120,000 square kilometres of a remote region of the Indian Ocean for 28 months but found no trace of the aircraft, and the hunt was suspended last January.
Last month the Malaysian government hired Ocean Infinity, a private firm, to head a fresh hunt for the missing plane.
Search ship Seabed Constructor has deployed high-tech …read more
