WATCH NOW: AMSA Presser on Missing Jet

20 March 2014

Two objects have been seen that could possibly relate to the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, Australian PM Tony Abbott has announced.

Australian vessels have been searching in the southern Indian Ocean for the aircraft, which disappeared on 8 March with 239 people on board.

Mr Abbott said the objects had been identified on satellite imagery.

An Orion aircraft had been sent to the area to try to locate the objects, Mr Abbott told parliament.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it lost contact with air traffic controllers.

Twenty-six nations have been involved in a major search for the missing plane, which Malaysia says was intentionally diverted

Key Points

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says objects have been spotted by satellite that may have originated from the missing Malaysian airliner.
A search aircraft is headed for the area off Western Australia, Mr Abbott told parliament in Canberra. Three additional aircraft are expected to follow.
The Australian PM said he had spoken with his Malaysian counterpart, Najib Razak, and cautioned that the objects had yet to be identified.
Teams from 26 countries are now trying to locate flight MH370, which went missing on 8 March with 239 people on board.
Earlier, the FBI confirmed it was helping the Malaysian government search for the Malaysia Airlines jet.
Investigators are probing two giant arcs of territory spanning the possible positions of the plane about seven hours after take-off.