Search is race against time
The search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which has been missing more than a month, has now become a race against time.
The whereabouts of the aircraft, which left Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing, is still not known. The plane is believed to have altered course and flown out across the Indian Ocean before crashing into the sea.
Listening devices have picked up signals likely coming from the plane's black box, which records things such as the pilots' conversations and important flight data. But the box's battery, which powers the transmitter sending out the signals, has a lifespan of only about 30 days.
There are many theories as to how a relatively new Boeing 777-200ER jet, flown by an experienced pilot, could have vanished. Was it a terrorist act by two Iranian passengers who were travelling on stolen passports? Was it a hijacking gone wrong? Or was it a deliberate act by the pilot, or his co-pilot?
Malaysian authorities have added to the confusion and hindered the search because of their poor co-ordination. Officials have been ill-informed and often gave contradictory statements.
Hopefully the search will help us learn exactly why and how the plane was lost, giving a sense of closure to the families of the missing passengers.