Missing Malaysian jet LIVE updates: Search for missing plane expands to Indian Ocean

India on Thursday significantly scaled up its participation to trace flight MH 370 as three naval warships, a coast guard ship, recently acquired long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft P8I and two IAF's C-130 J Special Operations aircraft were sent to the "search zone" identified by the Royal Malaysian Navy in the South Andaman Sea. The Navy has been identified as the lead agency to execute operation Search Light which was launched after the defence ministry gave a go ahead for joining the international effort to trace missing Boeing 777-200ER with 239 on board.

Operation Search Light is being carried out by the maritime operations centre in New Delhi under the command of Vice Admiral Girish Luthra and a direct line of communication has been opened with Royal Malaysian Navy, with the deputy chief of naval staff Vice Admiral P.K. Chatterjee as the overall in-charge of operations.


The search zone, stretching around 35,000 square kilometre, lies around 500 kilometres South-west of Port Blair and around 100 kilometres East of Campbell Bay in Great Nicobar. Navy officials said the search zone would be scanned by navies and air force of different countries. It will be divided into grids and India will be tasked to trace the missing aircraft in a designated area. An amphibious warship INS Kesari, an off-shore patrol vessel INS Saryu and Coast Guard ship Kanak Lata Baruah sailed out from Port Blair. Another amphibious ship INS Kumbhir was dispatched from Campbell Bay.

A helicopter, Mi7V5, has also been deployed. The search zone, stretching around 35,000 square kilometre, lies around 500 kilometres South-west of Port Blair and around 100 kilometres East of Campbell Bay in Great Nicobar. Navy officials said the search zone would be scanned by navies and air force of different countries. It will be divided into grids and India will be tasked to trace the missing aircraft in a designated area.


An amphibious warship INS Kesari, an off-shore patrol vessel INS Saryu and Coast Guard ship Kanak Lata Baruah sailed out from Port Blair. Another amphibious ship INS Kumbhir was dispatched from Campbell Bay. A helicopter, Mi7V5, has also been deployed.