Search Area for MH370 to Expand If Plane Not Found
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An expanded search zone for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is seen in a map released April 16, 2015. (Australian Government handout)(NEW YORK) — Authorities plan to expand the search zone for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 if the plane is not located in the coming months.
Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss and Chinese Transport Minister Yang Chuantang appeared at a press conference Thursday to discuss the search for the plane, which went missing in March 2014 with 239 people on board.
No physical evidence has ever been linked to the lost plane.
The current search zone in the southern Indian Ocean covers 23,000 square miles — roughly the size of West Virginia. More than 61 percent of that search zone has been covered so far, the officials said.
A search of the current zone should be completed by May.
If the plane isn’t found, the search area will be expanded to cover more than 46,000 square miles, the officials said.
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