Flights continue … A Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Malaysian Airlines is prepared for take off at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang, Malaysia. Photo: Bloomberg
The missing Malaysia Airlines jet had its communication devices switched off and was deliberately flown back on its original course, the Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak, said on Saturday.
But he stopped short of confirming media reports citing Malaysian officials stating that it was hijacked.
“Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked I wish to be very clear that we are still investigating all possibilities,’’ he said.
He said the plane’s last known communication was at 8.11am on the day it disappeared – more than six hours after its last reported position in the South China Sea.
Dato’ Sri Najib named two possible “corridors’’ thousands of kilometres from the original search locations, in official statements that serve to further deepen the mystery surrounding the disappearance of MH370.
Mr Najib described how ‘‘primary radar data’’ showed how the plane turned from its north-easterly course, flew west back over Malaysia, then turned north west after reaching the Straits of Malacca on the country’s west coast.
‘‘These movements are consistent with deliberate actions by someone on the plane,’’ Mr Najib said said.
‘‘The aircraft could now be in one of two possible corridors. A northern corridor stretching approximately from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand.
“Or, a southern corridor stretching approximately from Indonesia to southern Indian ocean.”
source: smh.com.au
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 