Malaysia Airlines jet search: As it happened on Monday

The hunt for physical evidence that the Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 239 people crashed more than three weeks ago, as Kuala Lampur has declared, has so far proved fruitless despite a massive operation involving many countries.

Zee Media Bureau/Tarun Khanna

10:15 pm: Pilot`s daughter says UK tabloid `made up` MH370 report The daughter of MH370`s pilot has accused a British tabloid of "making up" an article in which the paper quoted her saying her father was unstable before the flight, a report said on Monday, AFP reported. The Daily Mail, whose coverage of the three-week-long missing-plane crisis has been questioned before, said in a report Sunday that family members described captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, as "disturbed". But Aishah Zaharie, the captain`s daughter, said the Daily Mail report was bogus, as per AFP 9:30 pm: ADV Ocean Shield departed for MH370 search area ADV Ocean Shield has departed for MH370 search area. Transit expected to take several days, AMSA News reported. 9:00 pm: Search operations over for today Search operations have concluded for today. All aircraft returning, nothing significant to report. Search will resume tomorrow, AMSA News reported. 8:15 pm Accept reality of plane crash, Chinese daily tells passengers kin China should accept the reality that the missing Malaysian jet had crashed in the Indian Ocean and prepare for funerals, a commentary in state media said on Monday amid protests and accusations by anguished relatives who insist their loved ones could still be alive, PTI reported. 6:00 pm: No time limit for plane search, says Australian PM There is no time limit on resolving the "extraordinary mystery" of the missing Malaysian jet, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said, even as the latest leads on possible plane debris turned out to be false alarms, PTI reported. Bad weather conditions today forced the Australia-led search team to suspend operations for locating the debris of the missing flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean. The search had been intensified today with 10 aircraft and 10 ships combing 254,000 sq km area. Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said the orange objects spotted by a plane have turned out to be nothing more than fishing equipment, as per PTI reports. 15:25 pm: Malaysian Guided Missile Frigate KD Lekiu arrived at HMAS Stirling The Malaysian Guided Missile Frigate, KD Lekiu has arrived at HMAS Stirling to receive briefings on missing Flight 370`s search operations west of Perth, AMSA News reports.

Malaysian Guided Missile Frigate, KD Lekiu has arrived at HMAS Stirling to receive briefings on #MH370 search operations west of Perth.

— AMSA News (@AMSA_News) March 31, 2014

14: 23 pm: New rules set for airports in Malaysia In wake of the missing Flight 370, new rules have been set for the Malaysian airports with strict instructions on number of crew members in the cockpit. Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) have said the pilot and a co-pilot are now not allowed to be left alone in the cockpit, even when one of them is taking a toilet break, as per PTI reports. The new rule allows a cabin crew member to be present in the cockpit in the absence of pilot or co-pilot. 14: 08 pm: Objects spotted not related to Malaysian plane Soon after an Australian aircraft crew spotted four orange objects in the water west of Perth, it ruled out any possibility of them belonging to the missing Malaysian jet. The crew had spotted four orange items of interest. They immediately took photos and sent them to the coordinators. 13:12 pm: Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield to reach search area Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield, which is equipped with ping locator, is being trialled in Cockburn Sound close to Perth in western Australia. The pinger locator to trace `black boxes` of Flight 370 will be tested today, said Australian Maritime Safety Authority. Thereafter, the black box locator will be taken to the search area. 11: 15 am: US naval officer calls chances of finding `black boxes` slim US Navy Captain Mark Matthews has said that it would be very difficult to locate the black boxes, which have a battery life of 30-40 days, before its battery dies. He also said that everything now depends on the efforts being made to reduce the search area. The Australian warship Ocean Shield, which is equipped with a black box detector is sailing from the southwestern Australian city of Perth and is expected to reach soon to the search area. 10: 00 am: HMAS Toowoomba joins search operation Australia Navy`s HMAS Toowoomba has made best speed and has entered the search area for Flight 370 after departing on Saturday afternoon, as per AMSA news. The Anzac class frigate arrived at its home port of Stirling Naval Base in Rockingham on Saturday after being recalled from other duties to join the search operation of missing Malaysian jet. 9: 45 am: Australian PM Tony Abbott in Perth, says no time limit on hunt Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who visited the Pearce RAAF base in Perth on Monday, said that there is no time limit on the search for the missing Malaysian plane. He further applauded the efforts of the world involved in the search operation. “It is praiseworthy that for a humanitarian cause many nations have come together and making efforts to resolve this extraordinary mystery. 9: 15 am: Australian PM Tony Abbott to arrive in Perth Australian Prime Minister Tonny Abott will be arriving at Perth`s Pearce Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base on Sunday. Tony had yesterday said that retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, country`s former defence force chief, will lead a new joint agency co-ordination centre (JACC) in Perth to search for the debris of the missing plane. 9: 00 am: One aircraft, eight ships in search area While one aircraft and eight ships are currently scouring for the missing plane MH370, four more aircraft are now en route to the search area, as per AMSA News. 8: 40 am: Search for Flight 370 resumes After scouring approximately 252,000 square kilometres on Sunday, the search operation has resumed on Monday in the Indian Ocean. Yesterday, search activities involved a total of nine aircraft. The hunt for physical evidence that the Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 239 people crashed more than three weeks ago, as Kuala Lumpur has declared, has so far proved fruitless despite a massive operation involving many countries.