Australian authorities say they are not ready to declare defeat in the hunt for missing plane MH370 and remain "very hopeful" of finding it despite the clock ticking on the massive search effort.
The hunt in the treacherous southern Indian Ocean -- where the Malaysia Airlines jet is believed to have come down on March 8, 2014 -- involves sophisticated ships and equipment and is projected to cost up to Aus$180 million (US$130 million).
But it has so far drawn a blank as the two-year anniversary of the mystery disappearance nears.
Only a two-metre-long (almost seven-foot) flaperon wing part that washed up on a Indian Ocean island beach last July has been confirmed as from the aircraft, although suspected debris found in Mozambique this week could be another breakthrough.
The latest find will be brought to Australia for examination, with Transport Minister Darren Chester saying its location was consistent with drift modelling based on the plane crashing in the area being probed.
Australia's search chief Martin Dolan said he still held out hope of finding MH370 as an end to the difficult underwater hunt edges closer with the scouring of more than 85,000 (32,818 square miles) of a designated 120,000 square kilometres zone complete.
"We haven't yet located the aircraft but we have a considerable area still to cover -- over 30,000 square kilometres -- still to go," Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) told AFP.
"So we remain very hopeful that we will find the aircraft."
The plane, which disappeared after inexplicably diverting from its planned Kuala Lumpur-Beijing route, had mostly Chinese, Malaysian and Australian passengers on board.
Those three governments have agreed that when the target area is fully searched, expected around June to July, they will pull the plug unless "credible new information" emerges.
Relatives of MH370 passengers have issued an emotional plea to keep searching beyond July, with one group representing the families begging authorities not to "simply chalk it up as an unsolvable mystery".
- 'Searching in right place' -
Despite the search having turned up nothing other than some long-lost shipwrecks, Dolan said he remained confident it was looking in the right place.
The area being scoured, off Western Australia, was identified using analysis of where the plane was calculated to last emit a satellite "handshake" and how the jet went down.
Analysis points to it entering the water within the so-called seventh arc, with investigators saying the "most likely" scenario was that no-one was at the controls and the plane ran out of fuel.
Some critics have questioned why authorities do not give greater weight to the "rogue pilot" theory that someone was at the controls.
Dolan said investigators considered all scenarios -- including the "very unlikely" possibilities the jet was ditched under engine power or was glided into the water by someone after it ran out of fuel -- and presented them to the three governments.
But the alternative possibilities and their potential debris fields would involve an area three times the current search zone.
"There's always been that uncertainty, which is why we've said we're working with probability, we say it is very probable that the aircraft is in our search area, but it's not certain.
"They (the governments) are aware of the potential other scenarios but they are saying that 120,000 square kilometres is the most that's practicable for governments and for us."
If nothing turns up in the remaining stretches of seabed, Dolan said it was "very unlikely that any significant new evidence will come to light", meaning the search will end.
Analysis of the flaperon has so far not offered further information to help solve what happened to the plane.
"The main piece of missing evidence to solve this mystery is the aircraft itself, which is why we've focused so much effort on the search and on finding it," said Dolan. "And I can't see where alternative information is likely to come from."
READ: Mozambique says US man handed in suspected MH370 piece
READ: MH370: 'Avoid speculating on plane debris found off Mozambique' - Liow
READ: US man tells how he found suspected MH370 debris
READ: MH370: Debris found in Mozambique to be transferred to Australia for inspection
AFP
Fri Mar 04 2016
An undated handout photo taken in an undisclosed location and received from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) on March 3, 2016, shows a suspected piece of aircraft debris found on the coast of Mozambique. - AFP photo
[TERKINI] Majlis Perasmian Persidangan DSA & Natsec 2024
Majlis Pembukaan Pameran Dan Persidangan DSA & Natsec Asia 2024 oleh Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim di Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Kuala Lumpur.
Syed Saddiq fail semakan tindakan PM, kerajaan henti peruntukan untuk Muar
Syed Saddiq dan tiga pengundi memfailkan permohonan kebenaran untuk mendapatkan semakan kehakiman di Mahkamah Tinggi berhubung tindakan pemberhentian peruntukan untuk Parlimen Muar.
Liputan terhadap Israel, perang di Gaza tidak terjejas - Al Jazeera
Editor pengurusan Arab saluran itu, Mohamed Moawad berkata ada kaedah lain yang akan digunakan oleh pasukannya dalam membawakan perkembangan terkini dari tanah Palestin itu.
Polis nafi serangan terhadap Faisal, Akhyar berkait 'bookie'
Polis menafikan dakwaan kononnya kes serangan terhadap dua pemain bola sepak negara mempunyai kaitan dengan pengendali pertaruhan (bookie).
Polis tahan dua lelaki, rampas dadah lebih 21kg
Polis menahan dua lelaki tempatan yang dipercayai terbabit dengan aktiviti pengedaran dadah di Jalan Medan Simpang, Simpang dekat Taiping.
Universiti Nottingham, Astro AWANI anjur sidang meja bulat Kewartawanan Dalam Era Gangguan AI
Perbincangan meja bulat ini bertujuan menyediakan platform untuk membincangkan implikasi AI terhadap kewartawanan dan masyarakat.
AWANI Ringkas: Dua daripada lima rakyat sanggup berhenti kerja
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Jualan Proton pada April naik 17 peratus kepada 11,025 unit
Proton mencatatkan pertumbuhan 17.1 peratus pada April 2024 dengan 11,025 unit dijual dalam pasaran domestik dan eksport.
'Nama tengah naik' - Rozie Othman akui kecewa Syasya keluar Dolla untuk berkahwin
Syasya kini masih berada di Malaysia dan akan mengotakan janji mengikut suaminya untuk ke luar negara.
Sultan Pahang ingatkan ADUN berbahas secara rasional, dahulukan kepentingan rakyat
Sultan Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah mengingatkan semua Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) supaya berbahas secara rasional dan berpegang kepada prinsip mendahulukan kepe
Piala Asia B-23: Indonesia ajar Australia cara main bola
Walaupun Australia mendominasi perlawanan pada separuh masa kedua, kehandalan benteng pertahanan Indonesia mudah mematahkan serangan demi serangan.
Paderi terkemuka Australia ditikam ketika 'live streaming'
Pemimpin gereja itu dilihat rebah ke lantai dan kedengaran suara jeritan para pengikutnya yang kemudiannya menerpa ke arahnya untuk membantunya.
Beratus dipindahkan susulan banjir di Australia
Perintah supaya berpindah dikekalkan di beberapa pekan selepas hujan lebat dan angin kencang yang menggemparkan komuniti di barat Sydney.
Lawatan rasmi ke Australia dan Jerman turut jana potensi jualan eksport produk Malaysia - PM Anwar
Lawatan rasmi ke Australia dan Jerman baru-baru ini, selain mendatangkan keberhasilan yang positif dengan potensi pelaburan, ia juga telah menjana potensi jualan eksport produk Malaysia.
KESUMA anjur forum, pameran kerjaya berasaskan pekerjaan hijau
Forum bertujuan menggalakkan perkembangan pekerjaan hijau selari dengan keperluan pembangunan ekonomi yang terangkum dan persekitaran mapan.
Kabinet bincang tawaran anjur Sukan Komanwel esok
Kerajaan akan memperincikan mengenai cadangan penganjuran sukan Komanwel 2026 dalam mesyuarat Jemaah Menteri, esok.
'Dua tahun tak cukup buat persiapan Sukan Komanwel'
Katanya, tempoh dua tahun merupakan satu masa yang singkat buat negara untuk membuat persiapan menganjurkan temasya besar tersebut.
Majoriti pelaburan diluluskan dalam sektor pembuatan disumbang pengembangan operasi sedia ada - Tengku Zafrul
Majoriti pelaburan diluluskan dalam sektor pembuatan tahun lepas disumbang daripada pengembangan operasi perniagaan sedia ada.
Lihat Malaysia sebagai pelaburan paling utama, destinasi modal - Anwar
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menyeru komuniti pelaburan antarabangsa supaya melihat Malaysia sebagai pelaburan paling utama dan sebuah destinasi modal.
Malaysia, Australia jalin hubungan ekonomi lebih kukuh menerusi empat kerangka utama - Anwar
Anwar berkata hubungan ekonomi antara Australia dan Malaysia berkembang kukuh sejak beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini berdasarkan kepentingan geoekonomi bersama dan usaha memakmurkan serantau.