MH370 plunged into ocean 'at high speed'

MH370 plunged into the ocean at high speed -- up to 20,000 feet a minute -- reinforcing analysis that the missing Malaysia Airlines jet crashed in the current search zone, a report said yesterday.

The Boeing 777 disappeared on March 8, 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people onboard.

According to the report, once MH370 ran out of fuel and the engines flamed, it slowed before plunging down towards the water in a series of swoops -- dropping from 35,000 feet at a rate of between 12,000 feet a minute and 20,000 feet a minute, Boeing said.

The sharp dive was confirmed by a new data analysis by Australia's defence department involving signals sent automatically between the plane and a satellite, the head of the agency leading the MH370 hunt said.

Australian Transport and Safety Bureau chief Greg Hood said this supported the view MH370 "was likely to have crashed in the 120,000 square kilometre (46,000 square mile) area now being searched," the paper said.