SYDNEY, Dec 3 — Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and its 239 passengers and crew vanished in March last year.

Now Australia, which is leading the most expensive underwater search ever conducted, says it will intensify its operations in the remote Southern Indian Ocean.

“We think that the search of the whole 120, 000 square kilometre search area is likely to take until about June of next year,” says Australian Defence Minister Darren Chester.

Australia’s government says the number of vessels searching for the jet will be doubled to four.

And they say analysis of the flight data, path and information gleaned from satellite netoworks has helped to narrow down the search area.

A piece of the plane was washed up on the French island of Reunion in July.

It was the first direct evidence the aircraft had crashed into the sea but no further trace has yet been found. — Reuters