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More planes have joined an increasingly international search of the south Indian Ocean for missing
flight MH370. Eight planes were sent out on Sunday over
a wider search area after China released new images of possible debris.
Australia is leading the search and said it was investigating sightings of a wooden pallet
and other items. Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared
on 8 March en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, with 239 people on board.
Malaysian officials believe the plane was deliberately taken off course.
Based on information received from a satellite, the search has been in two distinct corridors
- one stretching to the north-west of the last known location in the Malacca Straits
and one to the south-west. However, none of the countries on the northern
corridor have reported any radar contact, and two sets of satellite images of possible
debris in the south Indian Ocean have concentrated the search there.
Pallet sighting The search is being co-ordinated by the Australian
Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) from Perth in western Australia.
Alastair Leithead reports on the announcement of a possible debris sighting from China
Eight search planes were involved in the search on Sunday, including four civil aircraft and
a US P8 Poseidon. Two Chinese IL-76 search planes have arrived
in Perth but have not yet been deployed. Japan is sending two P3 Orions.
The Australian navy's HMAS Success is the only ship in the area, though others, including
from the US, UK and China are on the way. A key focus on Sunday was the sighting on
Saturday of a wooden cargo pallet, along with belts or straps.
Mike Barton, operations coordinator at Amsa, said: "Part of the description was a wooden
pallet and a number of other items which were nondescript around it and some belts of some
different colours around it as well, strapping belts of different lengths."
He added: "We tried to re-find that yesterday, one of the New Zealand aircraft, and unfortunately
they didn't find it. That's the nature of it - you only have to be off by a few hundred
metres in a fast-travelling aircraft." Pallets are used for shipping as well as plane
cargo and Mr Barton cautioned the sighting "could be anything".
Amsa released a statement on Sunday's search, detailing the aircraft involved and saying
the area would cover about 59,000 sq km (22,800 square miles).
Mr Barton said the sun and haze at a low altitude made the task for searchers tough.
The weather on Sunday was initially cloudy but it was hoped it might clear later.