Missing MH370: Oil slick not from plane, says MMEA

PASIR PUTEH: Tests on a sample of the oil slick found off the Kelantan coast reveal that it was not from the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) eastern region enforcement chief Datuk Nasir Adam revealed test results showed that it was bunkering activities.

"This is information I received from Kuala Lumpur. The oil slick is from bunkering activities and not from an aircraft," said Nasir at the MMEA's base in Tok Bali here on Monday.

Officials at the MH370 operation coordinating centre in Sepang said this was confirmed by the Chemistry Department.

On Sunday, MMEA's search team found a "yellowish" oil slick about 10 miles (16km) long, some 20 nautical miles (37km) south of the last point of contact of MH370.

Nasir, who led MMEA's third day of search and rescue operations, said it still could not find clues which could indicate the location of the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft.

"Our search sectors today is closer to the coast of Besut and we did not find any clues today," said Nasir.

He also confirmed that the MMEA had received a report from a civilian from Ketereh who claimed to have sighted what seemed like a plane flying low during the same time MH370 went missing.

"We have taken down his statement. The direction of where he claimed to have seen the aircraft is actually within the area covered by our search operations, and we have not seen any clues so far," said Nasir.