Flight MH370: Maldives islanders saw low flying plane

Police in the Maldives have said they are looking into local reports that a low-flying plane was sighted above Kudahuvadhoo, south-west of the capital Male, around 06:15 local time on March 8 and that its colors matched those of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.

The Maldives National Defense Force said that although nothing had been detected on its radar, it would provide any assistance needed for the search.

If the plane was indeed flight MH370, it would have flown far slower than normal, in order for the timings to be possible.

The main Maldives airport is one of those featured in the flight simulator discovered at the home of the captain.

The Malaysian authorities have said the evidence so far suggests the Boeing-777 was deliberately turned back across Malaysia to the Strait of Malacca, with its communications systems disabled. They are unsure what happened next.

Investigators have identified two giant arcs of territory spanning the possible positions of the plane about seven hours after take-off.

This is based on its last faint signal to a satellite – an hourly “handshake” signal that continues even when communications are switched off. The arcs stretch up as far as Kazakhstan in central Asia and deep into the southern Indian Ocean.

Investigators are considering the possibility of hijacking, sabotage, terrorism or issues related to the mental health of the pilots or anyone else on board.