So, 12 “probably man-made” objects have been identified floating in the sea “near the suspected crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370”.

But here’s the thing: the images were taken two weeks after MH370 disappeared way back in 2014.

Analysed by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), researchers used “drift modelling of the debris to suggest a new potential location for the crash site “, explains The Guardian.

The images, which were taken by a French military satellite, depicted objects which “appeared to form clusters, rather than being randomly scattered across the area”.

So, what does this mean? Well:

The findings seemed to bolster the ATSB’s conclusion last November that the plane most likely crashed north of waters it spent more than two-and-a-half years searching. The CSIRO report provided precise coordinates —35.6°S, 92.8°E.

Researchers said they had a “high degree of confidence” that the drift models of the debris pointed to an impact site within that area, a part of the Indian Ocean that was not searched.

Greg Hood, Chief Commissioner of the ATSB, said the reports “may be useful in informing any further search effort that may be mounted in the future” but called for caution. “These objects have not been definitely identified as MH370 debris,” he said.

“The image resolution is not high enough to be certain whether the objects originated from MH370 or are other objects that might be found floating in oceans around the world.”

Here’s what they got:

Of course, this new information will probably refuel pressure to locate the plane, with the crash still considered one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.

And that’s the latest on MH370.

[source:theguardian]