The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the desolate ocean waters off Western Australia uncovers an old shipwreck. The unexpected finding came when sonar equipment on board a search vessel scouring the Indian Ocean for the missing jetliner detected a cluster of objects nearly 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) below the surface, according to a statement from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
Search teams from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau have detected “man-made objects,” such as an anchor from a ship.
Peter Foley, the ATSB’s operational search director, said that he and his team were “obviously disappointed” that the Boeing 777 has yet to be found.
Michael McCarthy, a senior maritime archaeologist at the West Australian Maritime Museum, said the wreck was of a cargo ship built in the mid-to-late 19th century, and could be one of hundreds lost during voyages across the Indian Ocean.
Last month, officials announced that they would expand the search area for Flight 370 by another 60,000 square kilometers (23,000 square miles) if the plane is not found by the end of May. Crews have now covered 75 percent of the original search area and are working in the southern portion of the expanded search zone to take advantage of the last dregs of decent weather before winter sets in.
One of the four search vessels, which has the autonomous underwater vehicle on board, has withdrawn from the hunt because the worsening weather has made it too difficult for crews to launch the sub.
