Chinese ship finds 'pulse signal', no confirmation MH370

An observer watch a smoke fare after it was deployed to mark an unidentified object spotted from a RNZAF P3 Orion during search operations for wreckage and debris of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the Southern Indian Ocean, near the coast of Western Australia on April 4, 2014. A Chinese ship searching for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 detected a "pulse signal" in the southern Indian Ocean Saturday, state media said. AFP Photo/Nick Perry/Pool 

By AFP
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BEIJING, Saturday

A Chinese ship searching for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 detected a "pulse signal" in the southern Indian Ocean Saturday, state media said, but it was not yet clear whether it was linked to the missing plane.

The signal had a frequency of 37.5kHz per second -- identical to the beacon signal emitted by flight recorders.

A black box detector deployed by the Chinese search ship Haixun 01 picked up the signal at about 25 degrees south latitude and 101 degrees east longitude, the official Xinhua news agency said.

It is yet to be established whether the signal detected by Haixun 01 was related to the missing jet.

Malaysian authorities believe satellite readings indicate MH370 crashed in the Indian Ocean, far off Australia's western coast, after veering dramatically off course during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

But no proof has yet been found that would indicate a crash site.

Authorities still have no idea how or why the plane vanished, and warn that unless the black box is found, the mystery may never be solved.