Hishammuddin: Technical committee in MH370 search will decide on Bay of Bengal lead
The Malay Mail Online – 11 hours agoRELATED CONTENT
- GeoResonance, a marine exploration company claimed that its research identified elements …
KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 ― The technical committee on the search for missing Malaysian jetliner will decide if it will follow up on reports that MH370 may have crashed in the Bay of Bengal, Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today.
“I will not comment on it until there is confirmation... in past there were oil slicks, satellite images of wreckage in the South China Sea, but proved to be untrue.
“I'm meeting with the technical committee in a while... if they say we will proceed with the lead, then we will,” Hishammuddin told reporters.
Hishammuddin added that a press statement will be issued later today in the event the evidence is verified.
“We have received every lead that comes out. I personally monitor the social media and the news on the subject,” he said.
“Rest assured the structure is in place,” he added.
According to a report by Australian news channel 7News reported yesterday, GeoResonance, a marine exploration company claimed that its research identified elements on the ocean floor in the Bay of Bengal consistent with material from a Boeing 777 plane.
GeoResonance's spokesperson Pavel Kursa was quoted saying that elements such as “aluminium, titanium, copper, steel alloys and other materials” were detected.
GeoResonance’s company scientists reportedly searched two million square kilometres of the possible crash area with the use of over 20 technologies, including a nuclear reactor, to analyse satellite data and aircraft images to trace the missing Boeing 77-200ER’S last known location.
The latest lead suggests that the plane is located some 5,000km north of an ongoing multinational hunt in the Indian Ocean, close to Perth.
Costs involved
Hishammuddin said yesterday that the technical team has yet to outline the cost of the search mission.
The minister added today that the government is trying to reach an “understanding” on the cost involved to support the unprecedented mission and that more countries are looking into chipping in, including those from the Middle East, especially in areas such as “funding and information sharing”.
He also added that Japan wants its experts to sit on the technical committee overseeing the search mission here to contribute its resources.
“We welcome their presence, because we will have a panel of experts who are transparent, credible as it involves practically the whole world.
“We have no problems having people to come on board because the whole world wants to know about MH370,” said Hishammuddin.
The Beijing-bound plane carrying 239 people on board disappeared from civilian aviation radars less than an hour after departing the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
It was spotted on military radar, which showed it making a turn back west, shortly after.
Satellite data showed the plane ended its flight over the Indian Ocean.
Up to 11 military aircraft and 11 ships from various countries are still searching an area of nearly 50,000 sq km of ocean, about 1500km northwest of Perth.
