Search zone for missing plane may be doubled

Underwater drones have inspected most of high-priority area, effort could last another year

The search zone for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will be doubled if nothing is found in the huge undersea area now being scanned for wreckage, Malaysia, Australia and China announced on Thursday.

A joint statement released after ministers from the three countries met said the Indian Ocean search zone would be expanded to 120,000 square kilometers if the current area comes up empty.