Emotional Scenes As MH370 Relatives Mark Six Months

There have been emotional scenes at a temple in Beijing where
relatives of passengers on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370
gathered to mark six months since the plane disappeared.

About 30 relatives listened to a man read a poem, some crying and
sitting on the floor.

Tempers flared when police tried to move people on, sparking shouting.

No trace of the Beijing-bound aircraft has been found since it
disappeared on 8 March, carrying 239 people.

Based on analysis of satellite data, MH370 is believed to have ended
its journey in seas far west of the Australian city of Perth.

Investigators do not know what happened to the flight, however, and
finding its "black box" flight recorders is seen as key to
understanding the factors behind its disappearance.

Teams are now preparing to search a 60,000 square km priority area in
the Indian Ocean, using towed deep water vehicles equipped with side
scan sonar, multi-beam echo sounders and video cameras.

At the moment the ocean floor is being mapped to facilitate the
underwater search, which will begin later this month.

The agency co-ordinating the search says it remains "cautiously
optimistic" the plane will be found.

Acting search chief Judith Zielke told the BBC that experts were
continuing to refine the priority search area, based on data analysis.