MH370 Search: 'Object of Interest' Found on Western Australian Coast
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Australian officials say an “object of interest” in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane has been found, but Malaysia authorities said it was too early to tell if it is a real lead.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau Chief Commissioner Martin Dolan described the object as appearing to be sheet metal with rivets, and said it was recovered on the coast of Western Australia, CNN reported on Wednesday.
"It's sufficiently interesting for us to take a look at the photographs," he said. "We take all leads seriously."
At a news conference Wednesday, Malaysia's acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein said his country has not received any photos from Australia, and that so far, all of the objects found in the search have not been related to the missing plane.
"The more we look at it, the less excited we get," Dolan said.
The object was picked up near Augusta, some 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of Perth, a source with the Australian Defence Force told CNN.
The source also described the object as having rivets on one side with what appears to be a fiberglass coating.
When asked about the shape and scale of the object, the source described it as "kind of rectangular," but torn and misshapen.
The source said it was too difficult to estimate the size because they had only seen one photo with no clear scale.
The object of interest is in the custody of a police agency in Western Australia. Authorities there wouldn't comment further because it's a federal investigation.
