Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370: Australian Planes Search Indian Ocean for Debris Spotted by Satellite

Military search planes have been flying over a remote part of the Indian Ocean to see if two large objects spotted in satellite images are debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The plane disappeared on 8 March with 239 people on board.

One of the objects spotted by satellite was 24 metres (almost 80ft) in length and the other was 5 metres. They were sighted about 2,500km (1,550 miles) southwest of Perth, Western Australia.

Royal Australian Air Force pilot Flt Lt Russell Adams of 10 Squadron, steers his AP-3C Orion over southern Indian Ocean in the search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370Reuters

This satellite image shows objects that may be debris of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean off the southwest coast of AustraliaDigitalGlobe/AMSA via Getty Images

A map of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's planned search areaAMSA/Reuters

This Australian Maritime Safety Authority map shows the areas searched between March 18 and March 20AMSA/Reuters

A Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion aircraft from 10 Squadron, No 92 Wing, has post-flight checks conducted by maintenance personnel after its arrival at RAAF Base Pearce, Western AustraliaGetty

A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion aircraft arrives at RAAF Base Pearce, Western Australia, to join the Australian Maritime Safety Authority-led search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the southern Indian OceanGetty

Norwegian car carrier Hoegh St Petersburg has reached the area in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia where two floating objects, suspected to be debris from the missing Malaysian jetliner, were spotted. The car carrier was on its way from Madagascar to Melbourne when it got a request from Australian authorities to assist in investigating the objects spotted by satelliteReuters

US Navy Lieutenants Kyle Atakturk and Nicholas Horton assist in search and rescue operations over the Indian OceanReuters

"If it turns out that it is truly MH370 then we will accept that fate," said Selamat Bin Omar, the father of the jet's flight engineer. But he cautioned that relatives still did not know for sure whether the debris was from MH370 or something else. "We are still waiting for further notice from the Australian government," he said.

Some analysts said the debris were unlikely to be pieces from the missing plane. "The chances of it being debris from the airplane are probably small, and the chances of it being debris from other shipping are probably large," said Jason Middleton, an aviation professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

Selamat Omar, father of flight engineer Mohd Khairul Amri Selamat, waits for news at a hotel in Putrajaya, MalaysiaReuters

Rosila Abu Samah, 50, and her daughter Kaiyisah Selamat, eight, the mother and sister of flight engineer Mohd Khairul Amri Selamat, hug each other during an interview at a hotel in PutrajayaReuters

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