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Malaysia seeks staging area in Kazakhstan to facilitate search
While some of the most advanced aircraft in the world are being sent to search the southern corridor, the Malaysian government is also asking if it can set up a staging area for the northern corridor in Kazakhstan.
Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said this was because the search and rescue operations for missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) aircraft MH370 were still focused on the two corridors, though the satellite image of floating objects in the southern Indian Ocean was a credible lead.
“We are still awaiting information from the Australian search and rescue operations as to whether the objects shown in the satellite images released by Australia yesterday are indeed related to MH370.
“In the meantime, we are continuing search and rescue operations in the rest of the southern and northern corridors,” said Hishammuddin today.
He added that Kazakhstan authorities found no trace of MH370, but Malaysia is awaiting permission for Kazakhstan to be used as a staging point for search operations.
“On police investigations, the Ukraine police have confirmed that the background checks on the Ukrainian passengers have come back clear,” he told reporters at the Sama-Sama Hotel in Sepang.
He did not mention any information on the Russian passenger, who to date, was the only remaining person on board the flight whose background had not been cleared.
Although he had alluded to a previous aircraft incident, the Air France AF447 tragedy, where the plane’s black box was only recovered after two years, Hishammuddin made it clear today that this might be a lengthy operation.
“This is going to be a long haul. I think we are going to have to trench down on this,” he said to reporters candidly.
On the search in the Indian Ocean, he said he would look into asking the United States Defence Secretary if refuelling aircraft could be dispatched to the Indian Ocean to allow search planes to stay in the area for a longer period of time, after this was raised by a reporter.
There are already several P-3C Orions and a P-8 Poseidon aircraft searching the area for the objects which were spotted by satellites a few days ago.
The Royal Navy vessel, HMS Success, is due to reach the area where the objects were spotted in the Indian Ocean tomorrow, while China has already deployed five ships and three ship-borne helicopters to the area. It will add three more aircraft to that.
Meanwhile, Japan is deploying assets to Perth, which include two P-3C Orions to assist with the Australian search efforts.
The last known position of the objects is 2,500km southwest of the western Australia city.
The United Kingdom is also sending the HMS Echo and will provide a list of other available assets.
The country will provide further specialist search and investigative assistance once more information about the fate of MH370 becomes known.