Food poisoning latest theory in missing jet probe

A new theory being investigated is that the food was poisoned on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Authorities are probing every lead possible in the hunt to find out what happened to the missing flight, including scrutinising the food and cargo on the plane.

Malaysia’s top police officer Khalid Abu Bakar said that just investigating a load of mangosteens, a leathery-shelled, tropical Asian fruit, proved to be a difficult exercise.

“For example when we knew there was a load of mangosteens on board we had to find out where the mangosteens came from,” he said. “We tracked down who plucked the fruits, who packed them and shipped them out, who put them on the plane.”

“Imagine how many people we must interview and that was just the mangosteens,” he said.

Investigators had to also track down who was buying the fruit to make sure all leads were covered.

“Investigations may go on and on and on. We have to clear every little thing,” he said.

“At the end of the investigations, we may not even know the real cause.

“We may not even know the reason for this incident.”

Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has been told Australia is doing everything it can to find the missing flight, which disappeared almost four weeks ago with 239 people on board.

The initial search focused on the South China Sea, where air traffic controllers lost contact with MH370.

After subsequent searches in the Strait of Malacca, Andaman Sea and northern Indian Ocean, the focus turned to the southern Indian Ocean, based on satellite data.

Hundreds of objects have been spotted in the remote search area, but none have been verified as being part of the plane’s wreckage.

The Joint Agency Coordination Centre, established this week in central Perth and staffed by 20 people, said eight planes and nine ships were searching an area of 223,000 sq kms, 1680 kms west-northwest of Perth.