A Malaysia Airlines towelette was found on a Western Australian beach four months after MH370 vanished, investigators revealed Tuesday, but they said it was impossible to know if it came from the missing plane.
Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 239 people on board and no sign of the aircraft has ever been found. It is thought to have gone down in the Indian Ocean off Australia's west coast.
It emerged that a towelette -- a wet wipe usually served on board with drinks or meals -- with the Malaysia Airlines logo was discovered on a beach at Thirsty Point, some 200 kilometres (124 miles) north of Perth.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which is leading the underwater search for the plane, has previously looked at items washed up on beaches in Australia's west but none have ever shed light on what happened -- and it said the towelette was no different.
"A 6cm x 8cm moist towelette in wrapping branded with the Malaysia Airlines logo was found at Thirsty Point on 2 July 2014. It was handed in to the Western Australian police," the bureau said in a statement after the discovery was reported by Australian media.
"It is unlikely, however, that such a common item with no unique identifier could be conclusively linked with MH370."
One year on, mystery continues to surround the fate of the Boeing 777-200 aircraft that disappeared from air traffic control radar after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on a flight to Beijing.
Analysis of satellite data later revealed it flew for more than six hours after contact was lost, and suggested it crashed into the southern Indian Ocean after running out of fuel.
Malaysia's handling of the disaster has been criticised from the start and an interim investigation report released Sunday uncovered a dud beacon battery and more potential missed opportunities to track the plane.
However, the airline said the battery on the separate cockpit voice recorder -- good for 30 days once activated -- was up-to-date and would have transmitted a signal once it hit water.
'Families deserve answers'
Sunday's report said investigators had probed a range of issues including the personal, psychological and financial profiles of the jet's captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and his co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, as well as the backgrounds of the 10 cabin crew.
But although some suspicion had fallen on the cockpit crew, the report mentioned no evidence implicating either of them.
It also said that according to available data and maintenance records, nothing alarming was detected in the plane's major mechanical systems.
Australian officials have expressed cautious optimism that the plane would eventually be found, and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said Canberra, along with Malaysia and China, remained committed to the search.
So far more than 26,000 square kilometres -- over 40 percent -- of the priority zone of the seabed where the plane likely went down has been searched using specialist equipment.
"The families deserve answers and we are doing all we can to get them," Truss said.
Searchers hope to have completed the designated underwater search area by May.
AFP
Tue Mar 10 2015
Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 239 people on board and no sign of the aircraft has ever been found.
Penantian berakhir, pemasangan Starlink beri kelegaan buat Orang Asli Kerling
Sebelum ini, kampung itu tidak menerima isyarat liputan daripada syarikat telekomunikasi sekali gus memaksa mereka keluar ke jalan besar.
Kemampanan penting dalam tangani isu perubahan iklim, bukan sekat perdagangan bebas - Tengku Zafrul
Prasyarat hijau tidak boleh digunakan sebagai halangan bukan tarif atau menjadi mekanisme imperialisme ekologi zaman moden.
Pusat hiburan dibaling bom petrol
Rakaman kamera litar tertutup (CCTV) di lokasi kejadian memaparkan empat individu menaiki motosikal di hadapan pusat hiburan terbabit.
Turkiye: 190 penumpang berdepan detik cemas tayar pesawat pancit semasa mendarat
Semua 190 penumpang selamat dipindahkan susulan insiden kecemasan kira-kira 11 pagi waktu tempatan itu.
Korea Selatan sasar kerjasama ketenteraan dengan Malaysia naik taraf K200 IFV
Korea Selatan menyatakan minat untuk bekerjasama dengan Malaysia bagi menaik taraf armada Kenderaan Tempur Infantri K200 (IFV).
Wai Ching 'hangatkan' Larian Menara Naza
Selepas menawan puncak Menara Taipei 101 baru-baru ini, pelari menara nombor satu dunia Soh Wai Ching mengesahkan penyertaan pada Larian Menara Naza.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Kerajaan buat kerja, bukan cari populariti - Amirudin
Kata Amirudin, pembangkang hanya menjual isu-isu tertentu bagi mencari perhatian, khususnya pada musim pilihan raya.
Sarawak sasar juara keseluruhan Sukma XXI di Bumi Kenyalang
Abang Johari berkata, 9,927 atlet terpilih membawa cabaran Sarawak pada temasya dwitahunan itu harus tetapkan matlamat untuk capai kejayaan.
Serangan Rafah: Rakyat Palestin ratapi pemergian orang tersayang
Penduduk Palestin mengadakan solat jenazah untuk mereka yang terkorban di Rafah pada Khamis, ketika Israel meneruskan serangan di selatan Gaza.
Dana pilihan raya India: Modi dan Gandhi saling menuduh
Ambani dan Adani tidak memberi sebarang komen tentang siapa yang disokong dalam pilihan raya, manakala kedua-dua Modi dan Gandhi tidak mengemukakan sebarang bukti terhadap dakwaan mereka.
Tiada bukti serpihan berkemungkinan milik MH370 terdedah kepada api - ATSB
Pada peringkat ini, ianya mustahil untuk menentukan sama ada serpihan adalah daripada MH370 ataupun dari sebuah pesawat Boeing 777.