MH370 Update: ATSB Says Searching the Entire Area 'Will Likely Take Around A Year To Complete,' An Official Denies TheAircraft Is At The Bay Of Bengal

The ATSB has released the latest operational update and it said that searching the entire area to look for the wreckage of MH370 might take a year to complete.

On April 29, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the agency leading the underwater search for MH370, released its latest operation update that still no wreckage has been found.

Previous reports state that on April 16, China, Malaysia and Australia have agreed that if the aircraft has not been found in the current search area, the search will be extended by an additional 60,000 square kilometers "to bring the search area of 120,000 square kilometers, thereby covering the entire highest probability area identified by expert analysis".

The reports also indicated that the decision of the three countries is to ensure that the entire 120,000 square kilometer area will be searched effectively. However, the search for the MH370 might take a year to complete.

"This work is expected to be finalized in the new few weeks. The onset of winter and generally unfavorable weather conditions means, however, that searching the entire area of highest probability will likely take around a year to complete," it said.

Meanwhile, according to Express, the ATSB said that theories about the aircraft being on the north or west of the current search site "were not supported by known facts or careful analysis."

It has been reported recently that technology expert Andre Milne claimed that the MH370 crash site is in the area between India and the Maldives.

However, a spokesperson said: "It is for this reason the aircraft cannot be in Kazakhstan, Diego Garcia, the Maldives or indeed the Bay of Bengal."

The Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 disappeared on March 8 with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board.