Package found on Australian beach may be linked to MH370

Canberra, March 10: An unwrapped towelette, bearing the Malaysia Airlines logo that washed up on an Australia beach, is being examined to determine whether it could have come from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The package was found by a couple Kingsley and Vicki Miller as they walked along the beach at the coastal town of Cervantes, Nine News reported.

They immediately sent it to police, who on Tuesday delivered it to the offices of the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) in Canberra.

Vicki Miller said the Malaysia Airlines logo was clearly visible on the packet.

The JACC said it is unlikely that the towelette would be conclusively linked to MH370.

Experts said it would be possible for the small package to travel long distances without being damaged.

Oceanographer professor Charitha Pattiaratchi of the University of Western Australia said debris from the flight could wash up on any beach from Cervantes to Esperance.

Cervantes beach is situated around 220 km from Fremantle and 1,850 km from the main search area in the Indian Ocean.

MH370 disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014 with 239 people on board.

A search for wreckage is underway in the Indian Ocean, but no sign of the plane or its passengers has yet been found.

Air searches have covered an area of more than 4.5 million sq km, while four ships are now carrying out a search of 60,000 sq km.

IANS