MH370: Bad weather stops aircrafts, but ships continue searching
Astro Awani
Mac 27, 2014 05:20 MYT
Mac 27, 2014 05:20 MYT
The search for Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH370, which entered into its 20th day, has been suspended due to bad weather.
All aircrafts were recalled to Perth on Thursday, but ships are continuing to search in area where the Boeing 777-200ER plane was believed to have crashed.
"The forecast in the area was calling for severe icing, severe turbulence and near zero visibility. Anybody who's out there is coming home and all additional sorties from here are cancelled," Lieutenant Commander Adam Schantz, the officer in charge of the U.S. Navy Poseidon P8 aircraft detachment, told Reuters.
Earlier, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said that 11 aircraft and five ships were deployed in the multi-national search for the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft.
The search is split into two areas, covering 78,000 sq kilometers, in the treacherous waters of the southern Indian Ocean.
Thursday's search was to involve two Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion, a Chinese Ilyushin IL-76, a Japanese Gulfstream jet, a US Navy P-8 Poseidon and a Japanese P-3 Orion.
HMAS Success was also in the search area about 2500 kilometres southwest of Perth together with four Chinese ships – Xue Long, Kunlunshan, Haikou and Qiandaohu.