The search for flight MH370 enters its eighth week since it disappeared mysteriously in the early hours of March 8.

Latest developments

  • Surface search off over bad weather

  • Bluefin-21 to move beyond search area in next mission
Follow us as we bring the latest updates and coverage for the search of Flight MH370:

10.30am: Yang Pertuan Agong Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Tuanku Abdul has extended Malaysia’s thanks for the US’ role in the MH370 search effort, Bernama reports.
 
"Your involvement since the beginning of the search and rescue mission, and ongoing recovery operation, indeed exemplifies the strong commitment established between our two countries," the agong said during a state banquet held yesterday in honour of US president Barack Obama’s visit.
 
Obama is on a three-day visit to Malaysia starting yesterday.
 
His country has contributed the Bluefin-21 underwater drone that is now scanning the ocean floor for signs of MH370, the towed pinger locator fitted on-board the Australian vessel ADV Ocean Shield that detected pings consistent with black box pingers, as well as a number of ships and aircraft.

Meanwhile, Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says Obama has pledged continued US support for the search efforts.

"He (Obama) said he knows it is a tough, long, road ahead. We'll work together. There is always support. I'm very happy to hear (this) because it is a long journey," AFP quotes him saying.

Surface search stalled by bad weather

10am: Today's surface search by ships and aircraft has been suspended due to poor weather conditions, says the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC).

Meanwhile the Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is set to finish charting the initial underwater search area and start searching adjacent areas for signs of MH370 next.

All these will be a part of the underwater drone’s Mission 15, a 24-hour mission that will start this morning. Thus far, it has yet to find anything of interest in the past 14 missions.
 
Recap:

The initial underwater search area is defined as a 10-kilometre radius around where the Australian vessel ADV Ocean Shield detected ping signals consistent a pair of black box pingers for a second time.
 
Of the four detections it made in the same area, the second one had the strongest signal, and was hence deemed the 10-kilometre area around it was deemed the most likely candidate for MH370’s final resting place.
 
The AUV is currently searching for the source of the signal by mapping the ocean floor with sonar, and will be fitted with a camera to verify any suspicious objects if and when it finds any.