MH370: Search for plane enters new, 'more difficult' $60 million phase

The numbers speak to the breadth of the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The results speak to the fruitlessness of it. The plane, carrying 239 people, disappeared on March 8. And despite an expansive search involving 26 countries, officials have nothing to show for it. So authorities are moving on to the next phase of the search -- one that will be even more challenging, CNN reports. "We know very clearly the area of the follow-up search will be even broader, with more difficulties and tougher tasks," Chinese Transport Minister Yang Chuantang said Monday. What's next Australian, Malaysian and Chinese officials will meet in Canberra, Australia, on Wednesday to hash out plans for the next stage of the hunt. One group will analyze the data and information collected so far. Another will look at the resources needed. The data audit will look at information gathered since the beginning of the search. "It will also look again at the satellite information that's been accumulated so that we can make sure that it's been accurately interpreted," Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said. Authorities have relied on satellite information and pings believed to be from the plane's flight data recorders in picking their search area. But with an expanded search area comes the most challenging task ahead: scouring uncharted territory. A key element of the new phase will be a detailed mapping of the ocean floor. "We know that the water is very deep," Truss said. "And for the next stage involving sonar and other autonomous vehicles, potentially at very great depths, we need to have an understanding of the ocean floor to be able to undertake that kind of search effectively and safely." Truss said he's not sure how deep the ocean is in the expanded search area because "it's never been mapped." Details also at