Missing MH370: Focus is still on narrowing search corridors, says Hishammuddin

SEPANG: Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the focus is still on search and rescue operations and narrowing the search corridors, as the hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 entered day 12 on Wednesday.

Speaking at a regular press briefing, he said Malaysia has received some radar data, but declined to disclose from which countries.

Malaysia has also received background on all passengers except from Russia and Ukraine, but so far no significant information found.

The search now covers 2.24 million square nautical miles, or four-fifths the size of the United States, and stretches from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in Central Asia to southern Indian Ocean.

It is the longest time any civilian aircraft of this size has been untraceable. In 2007, it took 10 days to find an Adam Air plane which crashed en route from Surabaya to Manado.

With seemingly few clues "all efforts are now to reduce the area of concentration", Hishammuddin said. - The Straits Times/ANN