Satellites got signal from missing plane

Kuala Lumpur :  The mystery surrounding the fate of the Malaysia Airlines plane which went missing almost six days ago has deepened amid claims that satellites were still receiving data from the aircraft after it went missing, reports Daily Mail.

A source close to the investigation has said the flight MH370, which was travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 on board, sent a brief signal known as a ‘ping’ to satellites in space after it had lost contact with ground control.

The development comes as Malaysian authorities attempted to downplay the theories springing up around the fate of the aircraft, and as the US confirmed it would start searching the Indian Ocean for debris – rather than the South China Sea.

US destroyer USS Kidd is now reportedly being moved in to search the area, while Malaysia has asked for radar data from India and other neighbouring countries.

The Wall Street Journal newspaper quoted US investigators on Thursday as saying they suspected the plane remained in the air for about four hours after its last confirmed contact, citing data from the plane’s engines that are automatically transmitted to the ground as part of a routine maintenance program.

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