A map provided by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau showing the expanded search area.
KUALA LUMPUR: The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 plane will not end in May when the search of the current area is completed, and the search area will be extended by another 60,000 sq km.
According to a joint communique, the Ministerial Tripartite Meeting involving Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai who chaired the meeting, Australian deputy prime minister Warren Truss and Chinese transport minister Yang Chuantang on Thursday, agreed to expand the search area by another 60,000 sq km where the Boeing 777 may have flown, based on satellite data.
"Should the aircraft not be found within the current search area, Ministers agreed to extend the search by an additional 60,000 sq km to bring the search area to 120,000 sq km and thereby cover the entire highest probability area identified by expert analysis.
However, the statememnt added that a search of the additional area could take up to a year.
"Ministers recognise the additional search area may take up to a year to complete given the adverse weather conditions in the upcoming winter months. Upon completion of the additional 60,000 square kilometres, all high probability search areas would have been covered," it said.
This brings to rest months of speculation by the MH370 crew and passengers' next-of-kin that the tri-country search for the missing aircraft would end after it completes it search in the Southern Indian Ocean in May.
More to come
