MH370 search: India sends 4 warships, 6 aircraft

Joining global efforts to locate the Malaysian plane, India has deployed four warships along with six aircraft, including the latest special surveillance P-8I plane and three helicopters, under the 'Operation Searchlight'.

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The Indian assets also include two Dornier aircraft from the Coast Guard and the Navy along with the P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft from INS Rajali in Tamil Nadu, they said.

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The Indian operations in the task are being handled by the Navy and instructions are being passed to the officials on ground from the Naval headquarters in New Delhi, they said.

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"With the search expanded to cover an area stretching from South China Sea to AndamanSea, the Indian Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard have been pressed into service for the search of the missing aircraft," it added.

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The Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command has been nominated as the Overall Force Commander and Headquarter Integrated Defence Staff is coordinating the entire effort between MoD and Services.

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Indian Navy has been designated the lead Service.

The Headquarters Andaman and Nicobar Command, being the nodal agency, will assist Malaysia in all possible manner for the search in the area of AndamanSea.

The Navy is understood to be using its Rukmini surveillance satellite for locating the missing plane.

The Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines Boeing-777 plane, with 239 people including five Indians on board, vanished over the South China Sea on Friday an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur. 

Search and rescue operations which had been mobilised since early Saturday morning have failed to find the jetliner in the South China Sea and authorities have expanded the area of search into the Andaman Sea, Malaysian officials said.