Hot Weather In Indian Ocean Facilities Search For MH370 - Malaysian Minister

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 (Bernama) -- The current hot weather in the southern Indian Ocean will facilitate search for the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370, Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said Friday. He said the sea condition, which was calmer, would enable vessels involved in the operation to widen their search. "We are confident the search being conducted in the southern Indian Ocean is in the right location. "The search for MH370 is the ministry's main mission, and is being carried out, together with Australia and China," he told a media conference after distributing gifts in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration to passengers of the Electric Train Service (ETS) here Friday. Liow said Malaysia, as well as Australia and China, were committed to search for the aircraft which went missing on March 8, 2014 with 298 passengers and crew on board while enroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. He said there were currently four vessels involved in the search operation, including a ship from China. In another development, he said the ministry, through Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd, would cooperate with the health ministry to ensure passengers arriving in the country through the KL International Airport (KLIA)were not afflicted with the Zika virus. He said the focus would be on passengers arriving from countries with the disease, like Brazil and other Latin American countries. "We will step up checks at all entry points," he added. -- BERNAMA