MH370: New object sightings fuel hopes as search resumes

Ideal weather conditions gave one Australian aircraft crew the opportunity to detect many objects in the water west of Perth. It spotted four orange items of interest, took photos and sent the coordinates, but Flight Lt. Russell Adams said the crew couldn't determine whether the objects were from the airliner, which officials believe went down in the southern Indian Ocean. The items were more than 2 meters (6.5 feet) long, he said. Authorities will analyze the images and then decide whether to send a ship to the debris location, Kazinform quotes CNN. Adams called the discovery of the four objects one of the "most promising leads" searchers have come across. The search resumed Monday, with 10 aircraft and 10 boats set to look for signs of the missing plane. "We are searching a vast area of ocean, and we are working on quite limited information. Nevertheless, the best brains in the world are applying themselves to this task. ... If this mystery is solvable, we will solve it," Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters Monday. Speaking from the Royal Australian Air Force base where search teams have been headquartered, Abbott said he wouldn't set a time frame for how long the hunt for the missing plane could take. "We can keep searching for quite some time to come. We will keep searching for quite some time to come. ... The intensity of our search and the magnitude of our operations is increasing, not decreasing," he said. Search efforts Sunday ended with no confirmed sightings of debris from the plane, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said. Objects picked up by ships on Saturday turned out to be fishing equipment and other items, officials said. 'We want truth' The family members arrived in Kuala Lumpur and held a news conference at their hotel, imploring officials to be more transparent. "We want evidence, we want truth and we want our family," said Jiang Hui, the families' designated representative. The crowd chanted the same words. "We are here to call for the following three things," he said. "First, the Malaysian side should provide us with timely and comprehensive evidence and answer the families' questions." He also asked Malaysia to apologize for releasing confusing information and for announcing on March 24 that the plane had crashed even though there was no "direct evidence." Relatives wore white T-Shirts with the words " Pray for MH370 ... return home safely." Some wept. "We are here struck with sadness and urgency," Jiang said. "The meetings recently in China were not fruitful with (Malaysia Airlines) officials." Read more