A new possible signal has been located underwater by searchers hunting for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, the official heading the operation said Thursday.
An Australian navy aircraft picked up the signal in the same area a ship first heard sounds consistent with an aircraft's black boxes earlier this week, retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston confirmed.
“The acoustic data will require further analysis overnight but shows potential of being from a made-made source,” he said in a statement.
The aircraft dropped sound-locating buoys by parachute in a pattern near where the signals were last heard.
Earlier Thursday, the search zone was reduced to the smallest area yet.
- Henry Austin
The Associated Press contributed to this report.