Live report on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

(chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2014-03-11 23:15

Day 20

20:00

A Japanese satellite spotted suspicious objects possibly related to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean, Japan's Kyodo News reported Thursday.

19:30

China has employed vast resources in the search, including 21 satellites, over 10 ships and dozens of plane sorties, said Zhang Yesui, Chinese special envoy dealing with MH370-related issues in Kuala Lumpur.

16:29

A Thai satellite has spotted 300 floating objects, AFP reported. A Thai newspaper says the objects were seen about 200km away from the search area in the Indian Ocean.

16:24

The Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM) announced today its members have agreed to accord special priority in facilitating and expediting claims payment for the passengers and crew of the ill-fated Malaysian jetliner, Malaysia-based New Straits Times reported.

LIAM said several of its 14 member companies have started to process the life insurance claims to the next-of-kin of the passengers and crew on board the plane.

15:43

The pilot of the missing jet is believed to be solely responsible for the flight being taken hundreds of miles off course and there is no evidence of a mechanical failure or hijacking by a passenger, USA Today quoted an law enforcement official involved in the investigation as saying.

The officer told the newspaper that investigators are pressing relatives of the pilot, Capt. Zaharie Ahmad Shah, for information on his behavior leading up to the missing flight.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity.

13:00

The search in the southern Indian Ocean for signs of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was suspended Thursday due to bad weather. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said through its Twitter feed that all aircraft were returning to Perth and all ships were leaving the search area.

05:00

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and his visiting British counterpart Philip Hammond said on Wednesday they can not rule out anything -- including terrorism -- yet on what happened to the missing Malaysian Airlines jetliner.

Day 19

23:30

A French satellite scanning the Indian Ocean for remnants of a missing jetliner found a possible plane debris field containing 122 objects, a top Malaysian official said Wednesday, calling it "the most credible lead that we have."

14:15

Chinese special envoy Zhang Yesui met with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in Kuala Lumpur for discussions over the matter of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

09:00

A Chinese IL-76 aircraft reached the target area in the southern Indian Ocean on Wednesday morning and has begun searching for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

A Xinhua correspondent aboard the plane said the meteorologic conditions are complicated.

Meanwhile, Chinese icebreaker Xuelong has also arrived in the area where Chinese airborne searchers spotted some suspicious objects on Monday.

06:10

The search for any signs of the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft in the Australian Search and Rescue Region is set to resume around 8 a.m. AEDT Wednesday morning, the Australian Maritime Safety Authorities (AMSA).

06:00

The United States was approaching a British company for satellite data to conduct its own analysis in order to corroborate the company's conclusion that the missing Malaysian jetliner had "ended" or crashed in the Indian Ocean, the State Department said Tuesday.

05:00

Even before the loss of its Flight MH370, Malaysian Airline System (MAS) ing cash, prompting talk that it may need another financial rescue from state investor Khazanah Nasional Bhd, its majority shareholder.

The flag carrier's cash and short-term investments at end-December were close to $1.2 billion - less than its average operating costs of the two previous quarters, and a signal that it may soon need fresh funding or bank loans.