Prime Minister Tony Abbott and search co-ordinator Angus Houston say there is still no sign of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.
At a press conference in Canberra, Abbott and Houston said the search would now enter a new underwater phase using sonar technology. They said a thorough search of the sea bed could take up to 8 months and possibly longer, depending on weather conditions.
Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said: “We have not found anything anywhere that has any connection to MH370 and that includes satellite imagery.”
Abbott said it was unlikely any wreckage would now be found on the Indian Ocean’s surface. Waterlogged wreckage would have sunk by now.
Questioned about his earlier claim that the search was within a few kilometres of finding the plane’s black box, Abbott said the information was “good” and he was “baffled”.
Abbott said contributions would be sought from other nations for the new phase of the search that is expected to cost $60 million.
- Listen to Abbott and Houston (31m)
