This is not a popular place to be'

This is not a popular place to be'
"It could just be a container that has fallen off a ship," he said during a visit to Papua New Guinea. "We just don't know."

His words have focused worldwide attention on Australia's part in the massive international hunt for the jetliner, which disappeared March 8 over Southeast
Asia with 239 people on board.

Almost two weeks after the Boeing 777-200 dropped off radar screens, authorities still don't know why it veered dramatically off course or where it ended up.

Because of the "anxiety and apprehension" experienced by relatives of the people aboard the plane, Abbott said

Search teams that flew over the area where the two objects are thought to be located drew a blank Thursday, with poor visibility reported. Flights to the
zone by long-range reconnaissance planes resumed Friday, Australian authorities said.

The search area, thousands of kilometers southwest of Perth, the main city on Australia's west coast, is "about the most inaccessible spot you could imagine
on the face of the earth," Abbott said.

Visual search

Aircraft from Australia and the United States have staggered their departures to the area. The first plane returned without finding anything, and two other
aircraft are now inside the search area, Australian officials said. A fourth plane was due to arrive in the zone soon.

The weather conditions Friday are better, said John Young, emergency response manager for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said. Flight crews are
searching for the objects visually rather than using radar, he said.

"That's encouraging," he said. "But we have no sightings yet."