Australia agrees to lead search in Indian Ocean for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Pic: news.com.au
By David Wroe | The Sydney Morning Herald
Monday 17 March 2014
Australia is taking charge of the search in the Indian Ocean for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane and has promised to commit more resources to finding the aircraft.
In a significant deepening of Australia's responsibility, Prime Minister Tony Abbott told Parliament on Monday afternoon that Australia would co-ordinate operations in the vast search area to its west.
The Indian Ocean lies on one of two ''vectors'' that authorities have identified as paths the mystery flight might have taken.
If flight MH370 did indeed take a south-west path, then it would have most likely have gone into Australia's search and rescue zone, which stretches thousands of kilometres into the Indian Ocean, extending about halfway to southern Africa.
Mr Abbott said he spoke to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak early Monday afternoon and was asked to take over the Indian Ocean search.
"I agreed that we would do so. I offered the Malaysian Prime Minister additional maritime surveillance resources which he gratefully accepted."
To read the full article visit http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/australia-agrees-to-lead-search-in-indian-ocean-for-missing-malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-20140317-34xay.html#ixzz2wCKKRhto