Chinese vessels to enhance underwater search for missing flight

Chinese vessels will enhance underwater search for the Malaysian flight MH370 now missing for 31 days, a senior Chinese maritime official said on Monday.
The Chief of China Maritime Search and Rescue Centre, He Jianzhong, called upon Chinese search forces to increase communication with Australian counterparts and coordinate search operations under water, on ocean surface and in the air.
According to Jianzhong, also the Vice Minister of Transport Vessels of China’s Ministry of Transport, those searching for the missing passenger jet had searched areas of 145,479 square kilometres by midday of Monday.
“By midday Monday, the centre had mobilised 62 merchant ships for assistance in the search,” he said.
China has made all-out efforts to search for the missing plane using 18 vessels, eight helicopters and three fixed-wing aircrafts.
The Malaysia Airlines flight bound for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur disappeared on March 8 and over 20 countries have gathered to work out its fate.
However no definitive signs have been found so far.
Xinhua/NAN.