Seach area for missing Malaysian jetliner expanded to 2.24 mln square nautical miles
Hishammuddin Hussein, also Malaysia's defence minister, told a press conference that the search areas in both northern and southern corridors were divided into seven quadrants respectively, with each quadrant covering an area of 160,000 square nautical miles (about 548,784 square km).
Based on latest information, the search areas - almost as large as Australia - encompass a northern corridor stretching approximately from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, as well as a southern one from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean, Kazinform refers to Xinhua.
"This is an enormous search area. And it is something that Malaysia cannot possibly search on its own. I am therefore very pleased that so many countries have come forward to offer assistance and support to the search and rescue operation," Hishammuddin said.
He said Malaysia deployed two more ships, including a helicopter, which can operate from either ship, adding the total number of ships searching in the southern corridor to four.
Malaysia also deployed two C-130 aircraft to the Indonesian sector of the southern search corridor, the minister said.
As many as 26 countries have been involved in the search across Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean.
