Zee Media Bureau/Supriya Jha
2:45 pm: I hardly sleep, says Malaysian transport minister
The MH370 tragedy has brought with it inexplicable anguish to the family of the passengers on board the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, but they are not the only ones suffering as even those involved in search and rescue and coordinating the information have a difficult task at hand.
Malaysia`s transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein admits that managing the flow of information is physically exhausting and emotionally draining, reports the Strait Times.
"I hardly sleep because of the time zone. Information comes from different time zones," he said in an interview with the Malaysian media, adds the report.
"When I want to retire to bed, they say a life jacket was found. When I wake up the following day, it is said the information is negative."
1:00 pm: Candles and tears mark one month since the disappearance of Malaysian jet MH370
As today marked one month since the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers, family members of the passengers on board the plane held a tearful candlelight vigil in Beijing`s Lido Hotel.
The family members created a heart`s shape using candles, inside which they put candles in the shape of an aeroplane and MH370.
The bereaved kins sat encircling the candlelight mourning for the Malaysian jet, with some sobbing and others just paying a silent tearful tribute.
11:00 am: Malaysia Airlines MH370 hunt cost exceeds 44 million dollars
According to an estimate by the Reuters news agency, the search for the missing aircraft in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea by Australia, China, the United States and Vietnam has already cost at least $44 million.
The report adds that the figure of 44 million dollars does not include the cost incurred by the defence assets being used by countries as Britain, France, New Zealand and South Korea.
Britain`s HMS Echo and nuclear-powered submarine, HMS Tireles are also scouring the waters for any signs of the missing plane.
The experts have reiterated that this is the most expensive hunt ever in the history.
One of the officials in Malaysian government told Reuters that entire search mission for MH370 could be at least double the money spent to recover the black box from Air France`s AF447.
9:50 am: Data buoys deployed to help locate debris: Aus Defence Minister
Australian Defence minister David Johnston said that more than 20 data buoys had been deployed that indicate the flow of the water that will further help in locating the debris field.
He added that a debris field will then help recalculate where the point of entry of the plane into the waters of the Indian Ocean might have been.
"We have at least several days of intense actions ahead of us," Australian Defense Minister David Johnston told reporters. "We`re throwing everything at this difficult, complex task."
JACC chief Angus Houston added that without wreckage the plane`s
location can`t be found.
"But I`m more optimistic than I was one week ago,: said Houston.
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9:05 am: No further signals heard, TPL work goes on: JACC chief
In the latest update on MH370 hunt, retired Australian Air Chief marshal Angus Houston said that the towed pinger locator continues to search for the pings as no pinger signals have been heard again since the weekend, and hence the submersibles won`t be sent down now.
He added that the search will continue till there is absolutely no doubt that the pinger batteries will have expired.
"If we can get more transmissions, we can get a better fix on the ocean floor, that will enable a narrowly focussed visual search for the wreckage".
"If we go down there now for the visual search, it wil take many many days.. as it is very slow.. and painstaking work to scour the ocean floor," said Houston.
8:30 am: 14 planes, 14 ships involved in MH370 hunt
According to the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, today`s hunt will rope in up to 11 military planes, three civil planes and 14 ships.
Today`s search area spans approximately 77,580 square kilometres, 2268 kilometres north west of Perth, as marked by the AMSA.
Weather is expected to remain good throughout the day.
After pings were heard for more than two hours on Sunday, Australian Navy ship Ocean Shield will continue the underwater search cat the northern end of the search area, whereas Chinese ship Haixun 01 and HMS Echo will scour the waters at the southern end, informed the JACC.
8:00 am: Today marks one month since disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370
It was exactly one month ago on a fateful Saturday night of March 8 that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared with 239 people on board.
However, so far, there are no substantial clues even as Chinese and Australian navy ships have managed to hear pings possibly form the ill-fated plane`s black box.
