Indonesia: US Navy examines objects found during search for plane

A US Navy oceanographic survey ship was today trying to determine whether large pieces of round metal found off Sulawesi Island’s western coast were the wreckage of a Boeing 737 that disappeared more than a week ago carrying 102 people.

Thousands of soldiers, police and volunteers, meanwhile, continued their search on land and were heading to two points located by US National Transportation Safety Board.

An Indonesian vessel earlier reported three pieces of debris on the seabed after local fisherman told authorities they had spotted a low-flying, unstable aircraft in the area but lost sight of it after hearing a loud bang, naval officials said.

Rear Admiral Moekhlas Sidik, commander of Eastern Indonesia Fleet, said the Mary Sears had confirmed one of the objects was “round-shaped metal”, but that more readings were needed to identify it.

With no emergency location signal to guide more than 3,600 soldiers, police and volunteers searching in the island’s dense jungles and surrounding seas, teams have fanned out over a nearly 30,000-square-mile area.