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The third day searching for the missing jet: life raft-like object found

Tuesday, March 11, 2014
After a few hours of break at night, early this morning, Vietnam’s helicopters and seaplanes joined vessels to search for the missing plane of Malaysia.
A seaplane of Vietnam.
After a Vietnamese surveillance plane spotted a suspected life vest 177km off Tho Chu island, Singaporean aircraft also discovered a life raft-like object nearby.
Singapore aircraft spotted a life raft-like object at 08.16’.05N and 102.51’.11’’E, about 140km south west of Vietnam’s Tho Chu island.
At Malaysia’s request, Vietnam dispatched two navy ships to the area, and the ships were expected to reach the suspected life raft at 04.30pm.
Sources say there were 8 life rafts on board the missing Malaysian aircraft.
A Vietnam Maritime Police surveillance plane on March 10 discovered a new object, about 177km southwest of Vietnam’s Tho Chu island.
The National Committee for Search and Rescue quoted the crew as saying the object is orange and it has no holes as a fragment found on March 9 does.
The March 9 fragment was suspected to be part of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.
The Ministry of Defence has allowed two Chinese ships and another US ship to enter the waters joining international search and rescue efforts.
Helicopters brought domestic and foreign reporters to Phu Quoc island to cover the development of the news.
The National Committee for Search and Rescue said on March 10 the search areas has been widened to the north-west of the initially located area.
Malaysia agreed to scour for the missing plane in the area south of HCM City Flight Information Region (FIR), while Singapore is responsible for combing through the overlapping sea area between Vietnam and Malaysia.
A total of 23 aircraft and 39 ships of Vietnam, Malaysia, China, the US, the Philippines, and Singapore are joining search efforts.
Vietnamese forces are widening their search for the missing Malaysian plane towards the north-west of the initially suspected area, said the Office of the National Committee for Search and Rescue on March 10.
Malaysia will carry out the search in the area to the south of Ho Chi Minh City-based flight information region while Singapore will do its job in the waters between Vietnam and Malaysia.
A total of 23 planes and 39 vessels from Vietnam, Malaysia, China, US, the Philippines and Singapore are expected to join the search efforts.
At 9am this morning, the Coast Guard Region 4 expanded the search area around the place where the composite piece, supposed to belong to the missing plane, was found but they did not discover anything new.
At the Hanoi-based Search and Rescue Committee, Deputy Secretary of Defense Do Ba Ty and General Phuong Minh Hoa - Commander of the Air Defense discussed the search measures. Accordingly, the forces will expand the search area to the west of the island of Tho Chu.
In addition to 4 aircraft and 7 vessels of Vietnam, one airplane of Singapore, 2 large ships, a number of small vessels and two aircraft from China are also allowed to enter the search area in the territory of Vietnam.
Lieutenant General Do Ba Ty affirmed Vietnam's facilitates and supports the best for the search and rescue, while still ensuring territorial security.
At 8h25, a seaplane carried doctors and well-swimming soldiers of the Navy Region 5 Ca Mau to the site where an object suspected as the plane door found last night.
Earlier, at around 8h20, a Mi 171 of Regiment 917 landed at the Phu Quoc International Airport to take Deputy Minister of Transport Pham Quy Tieu to the area where the piece of composite was found.
It is expected that on March 10, Vietnam will mobilize four aircraft for the search, including two AN26 planes, one seaplane and one helicopter. Two other helicopters are also ready to join the search.
Two ships are also at the coordinate where the composite piece was found, 80 km away form Tho Chu Island to the south southwest.
As of 11pm on March 9, Vietnam dispatched 7 airplanes and 8 vessels of various kinds to the scene.
The following are some major developments on March 9, the second day of the search for the Malaysian jetliner which went mission on the way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8.
At 8:50am, Vietnam's search plane discovered an oil slick measuring 10x80km in the north-south direction, some 80km from the location initially believed to be where the plane went missing.
Later at 14:43pm, Singapore's aircraft sighted a floating strange object. A Vietnamese ship arrived at the scene for investigation but no result is yet made unavailable.
Then at 18:15pm, Vietnam's hydroplane DHC6 detected a while rectangular object with a round hole in the middle. A ship coded KN 774 was on the way to the site to verify the discovery.
At the request of the Chinese and US sides, Vietnam has allowed three Chinese vessels and one US ship to enter its waters to join in the search. 
The Boeing 777-200 code MH370 of the Malaysia Airlines took off from Kuala Lumpur at 0h41 on March 8, expected to arrive in Beijing (China) at 6:30 am the same day. Nearly an hour later, the plane would have to go on the HCM City flight control area but it completely lost communication. There were 227 passengers and 12 crew members on the plane, who are citizens of 13 countries.
The loss of this plane left many questions: the time it lost contact and why it did not transmit any signal. Four passengers on the plane are said to use fake passports or stolen passports, leaving many suspect of terrorism capabilities.
Vietnam and international rescue forces started search operation in the morning of the same day, with a total of 21 aircraft and 39 ships. Vietnam prepares nine ships and 11 aircraft.
After two days of searching, the little traces found as streaks of oil spills or a log, were not related to the missing aircraft. At 6.30pm yesterday, Vietnam’s seaplane detected a square piece of composite which was supposed to be the aircraft door. This is important clue for the search this morning.
Foreign agencies join search for Malaysian missing plane
US media reported on March 9 that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is sending agents and technical experts to help investigate the missing of the Malaysia Airlines plane.
Speaking to the press, an official said FBI agents at the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur are closely watching the situation, and the National Transportation Safety Board has sent a group of experts to Asia to assist the investigation.
A number of passengers on the missing plane are US nationals.
Malaysian Minister of Transport Hishammuddin Hussein said the country is checking if there is any possibility of terrorism relating to the missing of the plane, but added that they have not concluded whether it was attacked or not.
The minister confirmed that Malaysian investigators have met their US colleagues, focusing on the passengers' baggage declaration.
Malaysian air force commander Rodzali Daud said authorities are investigating the possibility that the plane had attempted to return to Kuala Lumpur before going missing.
The Chinese State Oceanic Administration said China's coast guard ship 3411 on March 9 entered the waters believed to be where Malaysian Airlines plane had gone missing.
The Malaysia Airlines said it will set up a command in Malaysia's Kota Baru or Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City right after the site of the missing plane is located.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has extended condolences to relatives of the passengers and crew members on the missing plane.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished from radar early on March 8 somewhere at sea between Malaysia and Vietnam about an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur , bound for Beijing . On board were 227 passengers and 12 crew members.
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