Australian authorities are giving it two or three days before they can conclusively report on debris located in the Indian Ocean, about 2,500km southwest of Perth, and if it has any connection to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
Australian Defence Minister David Johnston made the statement to the Australian Associated Press in Jakarta.
On Thursday, a Royal Australian Air Force P-3C Orian aircraft was sent out to the area to investigate possible wreckage from the Boeing 777-200ER, but failed to spot any debris, said the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa).
The P-3C Orion aircraft was sent out after Australian authorities revealed the discovery of two objects at sea from satellite images, one as large as 24 meters in size, which could possibly be related to Flight MH370.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told parliament the images represented “new and credible information” but stressed that any link with flight MH370 had still to be confirmed. Malaysia also said the information offered a “credible lead”, but stressed it was too early to tell.
This “requires us overnight to verify and corroborate it”, acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters in Kuala Lumpur, adding that the overall search and rescue effort would continue in the meantime.
Three more long-range surveillance aircraft, one each from Australia, New Zealand and the United States, are due to inspect the search area.
The Seach and Rescue operations for Flight MH370, which went off the radar in the morning of Saturday, March 8, has become the longest-running search for a commercial aircraft in aviation history.
See Also: Australian PM: Objects found in Indian Ocean, might be Flight MH370, Search for MH370 is now the longest ever for a commercial aircraft
Story: The Malaysian Insider
