KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 — Several new proposals to search for the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight is being assessed by the MH370 response team in Malaysia in light of new information emerging about the possible location of the flight, the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) said today.
DCA director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, who is also the head of the MH370 response team, confirmed receiving “several proposals” from parties interested to search for MH370, missing with all 239 people on board since March 8, 2014.
“While the report presented a thorough analysis of the refined MH370 ocean drift pattern based on available information and satellite images, we remain to be guided as to how this can be used to assist us in identifying the specific location of the aircraft,” Azharuddin said in a statement.
The new proposals had been received following the release of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) report on MH370’s search released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) earlier today.
According to the report, man-made objects were captured floating in sea in a series of satellite images two days after the suspected crash for the airline, and drift pattern analysed by CSIRO identified a search area of 5,000 sq km north of the previous search which had ended early this year.
The previous search was carried out by the governments of Malaysia, China and Australia.
Azharuddin said the latest proposals will be brought to the attention of China and Australia for further action.
“The Governments of Australia, Malaysia and People’s Republic of China during the Ministerial Tripartite meeting in July 2016 have agreed that consideration will be given in determining next steps should credible new information emerge which can be used to identify the location of the aircraft.
“I wish to reiterate that the aspiration to locate MH370 has not been abandoned and every decision made has and will always be in the spirit of tripartite cooperation among the three nations,” he added.
