Australia search team still 'hopeful' as hunt nears end

An observer on a Japan Coast Guard Gulfstream aircraft takes photos out of a window while searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight

Australian authorities say they are not ready to declare defeat in the hunt for missing plane MH370 and remain "very hopeful" of finding it despite the clock ticking on the massive search effort.

The hunt in the treacherous southern Indian Ocean - where the Malaysia Airlines jet is believed to have come down on March 8, 2014 - involves sophisticated ships and equipment and is projected to cost up to 180 million Australian dollars (USD 130 million).

Source: AFP