(VOV) – Colonel Tran Van Lam, deputy head of the Air Division 370, said forces have located the search area of the missing Malaysian aircraft in the Vietnamese territorial waters, between 150-300km off Kien Giang province’s Tho Chu island.
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“We will dispatch all aircraft in a couple of days to scour for the Malaysian plane in the located area,” he said.
On March 10, Vietnam has deployed six aircraft and 7 ships to join the regional search operation with Singaporean and Malaysian forces.
The search area has been extended to 126,000sq.km, or 26,000sq.km more than the previous two days, according to Dao Huu Gia, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Flight Management Corporation
“Despite all-out efforts, we have yet to uncover any clue about the missing plane,” Gia admitted.
*** Vietnamese ships and fishing vessels were mobilised to search for fragments drifting out to sea, about 60km southeast of Vietnam’s Vung Tau coast.
At 05.07pm on March 10, the Hong Kong air traffic control authority announced a Hong Kong passenger plane spotted several big fragments at 09.54′.30″ and 10.25′.00″ E, about 60km southeast of O Cap cape of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.
Besides navy and border guard forces, fishing vessels were immediately mobilised in the search operation as the area is the fishing ground of Vietnam.
*** After a Vietnamese surveillance plane spotted a suspected life vest 177km off Tho Chu island, Singaporean aircraft also discovered a life raft-like object nearby.
Singapore aircraft spotted a life raft-like object at 08.16′.05N and 102.51′.11”E, about 140km south west of Vietnam’s Tho Chu island.
At Malaysia’s request, Vietnam dispatched two navy ships to the area, and the ships were expected to reach the suspected life raft at 04.30pm.
Sources say there were 8 life rafts on board the missing Malaysian aircraft.
*** A Vietnam Maritime Police surveillance plane on March 10 discovered a new object, about 177km southwest of Vietnam’s Tho Chu island.
The National Committee for Search and Rescue quoted the crew as saying the object is a suspected in-flight life vest.
Vietnamese helicopters also discovered a fragment suspected to be part of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane on March 9.
Deputy Minister of Transport Tran Quy Tieu (fourth from right) examining rescue plans on Phu Quoc island
The Ministry of Defence has allowed two Chinese ships and another US ship to enter the waters joining international search and rescue efforts.
Helicopters brought domestic and foreign reporters to Phu Quoc island to cover the development of the news.
Foreign correspondents at work on Phu Quoc island
The National Committee for Search and Rescue said on March 10 the search areas has been widened to the north-west of the initially located area.
Malaysia agreed to scour for the missing plane in the area south of HCM City Flight Information Region (FIR), while Singapore is responsible for combing through the overlapping sea area between Vietnam and Malaysia.
The hovercraft is going to take off to the search area
A total of 23 aircraft and 39 ships of Vietnam, Malaysia, China, the US, the Philippines, and Singapore are joining search efforts.
*** Vietnam’s search and rescue efforts continued on the morning of March 10, scouring for the missing Malaysian jetliner after it vanished from radar screens with 239 people aboard.
Hovercraft HD-C6 lifted off in the early morning hours from Phu Quoc airport to join other Vietnamese and a multi-national search effort in an ever-widening search for any trace of the airliner.
Spotted debris highly suspected to be part of the missing plane
Earlier on March 9, a Vietnamese Hovercraft HD-C6 crew spotted debris that is highly suspected to be part of the missing plane of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, however there has been no confirmation.
Vietnam Maritime Police are also continuing their search efforts in a bid to locate the Malaysian jet which mysteriously disappeared in the southern waters of the Vietnam-Malaysia overlapping sea borderline.
Deputy Minister of Transport Pham Quy Tieu has arrived on the morning of March 10 on Phu Quoc island district to head up rescue efforts and coordinate Vietnam’s efforts with other nation’s investigations into the incident.
Missing Malaysian plane: search area located Related image(s)
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