FLIGHT MH370: Discovered 'Seafloor Event' Possibly Linked To Missing Flight

by Benson Agoha

Chinese researchers have reportedly detected a "seafloor event" near the waters between Malaysia and Vietnam, in an area suspected to be linked with the missing Malaysian jetliner MH370, according a media report quoting a university source Friday.

China's English.news.cn said the event occurred at about 2:55 a.m. local time on Saturday, about one and a half hours after the plane's last definitive sighting on civilian radar, quoting a research group on seismology and physics of the earth's interior under the University of Science and Technology of China.

The report said the area, 116 km northeast from where the last contact with the Boeing plane was recorded, used to be a non-seismic region.

According to the research group, "The seafloor event could have been caused by the plane possibly plunging into the sea."

The location of the event was identified based on records of two seismographs located in Malaysia and if data is proved to be linked to the missing flight, might explain why "the strength of the earthquake wave indicates the plunge was catastrophic," according to the research group.

The Boeing 777 aircraft suddenly vanished from radar early Saturday morning while carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Of the passengers, 154 are Chinese.

Dozens of ships and planes from approximately 10 countries are scouring the waters around Flight MH370's last known location, but no solid clues have been found so far.

But amidst the tense atmosphere surrounding the disappearance of the flight, Malaysian Transport Minister today insisted that going by International protocols, the rules determine that Malaysia will lead the probe.

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