Australia spots two new objects in search for MH370

File photo: Naval aviators piloting a P-8A Poseidon plane in the air over the waters of the Indian Ocean during a mission to assist in search and rescue operations for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. (AFP PHOTO / US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eric A. Pastor/Released)

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KUALA LUMPUR: Australia has spotted two objects -- one circular shaped and another rectangular -- in the latest development in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said Monday during his news briefing on the crisis that the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott updated his Malaysian counterpart of the items sighted by search aircraft.

Australia has said a ship is steaming to the scene and expected to be in the area "within hours". 

According to the Malaysian acting transport minister, the HMAS Success from the Australian Navy will be in the area within the next few hours or by Tuesday at the latest to verify the items spotted -- one said to be approximately one metre in length and another, a light-coloured drum shaped object.

"The crew on board the Orion reported seeing two objects, the first a grey or green circular object and the second an orange rectangular object," Abbott told parliament on Monday.

Once the debris has been confirmed, more sophisticated assets will be deployed, Hishammuddin said. 

Earlier Monday, a Chinese search plane reportedly sighted "suspicious objects" in the Australian search area. These objects were not in the vicinity of those which were identified by the Australian authorities last week.

Australian, US and New Zealand planes have been flying sorties for five days looking for the Boeing 777 in the southern corridor.

Ten aircraft were involved in the search on Monday with the arrival of two giant Chinese Ilyushin IL-76 reconnaissance planes along with two Japanese P-3 Orions.

They have been criss-crossing a cumulative area of 68,500 square kilometres.

"A number of Chinese vessels are expected to commence arriving within the search area on 25th March," Hishammuddin added.

He told reporters that search vessels from several countries are also heading to the search area off Perth in Australia. 

Three other aircraft -- two from Japan and one from the UAE -- have also departed from Malaysia's Subang airport and are en route to the southern corridor.

Six Malaysian ships, with three ship-borne helicopters, are now in the northern part of the southern corridor. Ten Chinese ships are in the southern corridor, carrying out search-and-rescue operations, Hishammuddin said.

"HMS Echo is currently refuelling in the Maldives and will be sailing to the southern corridor this evening," he added.

"In the northern corridor, Turkmenistan has confirmed they have not had any sightings of MH370 on their radar," said Hishammuddin.

"Each piece of information we receive from our partners in the northern corridor helps us to continuously narrow the corridor."

The minister reiterated that all leads need to be verified, and the search at the northern and southern corridors would proceed for the sake of the families of the passengers and crew on board the plane.

Police have also interviewed more than 100 people in their probe into the plane's disappearance, including families of the pilot and co-pilot.

The news conference was also told that MH370 was carrying wooden pallets.

However, the Malaysian minister made it a point to stress "there is as yet no evidence that these are related to the wooden pallets reportedly sighted in the Australian search area".

MH370 vanished without warning on March 8 over the South China Sea en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board.

Malaysia believes the plane was deliberately diverted by someone on board. But the absence of firm evidence has fuelled intense speculation and conspiracy theories, and tormented the families of the missing.

Angry relatives shouted at the Malaysian ambassador to China at a meeting in Beijing on Monday as frustrations over the lack of information on the missing flight boiled over once again.

"Respect life, give us back our families," they called, using the phrase that has become their slogan.

Hishammuddin said the search "has taken us half way around the world", with new leads at the moment but nothing conclusive.

"Our thoughts continue to be with the families who are still waiting for news."

Malaysia Airlines suffered more bad news early Monday when a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Seoul had to divert to Hong Kong due to a malfunctioning electrical generator.

The airline said back-up systems kicked in and the plane, with 271 passengers, landed uneventfully. 

At the news conference on Monday, Malaysian Airlines officials clarified that the diversion to Hong Kong was not due to any fault, but was taken as a precaution.