Search for plane suspended due to bad weather

This graphic made Wednesday, March 19, 2014 and released by Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) Thursday, March 20, 2014, shows an area in the southern Indian Ocean that the AMSA is concentrating its search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on. AP

PERTH, Australia—Australian officials say search operations for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane have been suspended for the day due to bad weather.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority says all planes that headed for the search area in the southern Indian Ocean earlier Thursday are now returning to Perth and ships are leaving too.

Heavy rains, strong winds, low clouds and reduced visibility are expected in the search zone, which is about 2,500 kilometers southwest of Perth.

Eleven planes and five ships had planned to scour the area on Thursday for Flight 370, which vanished early March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard.

Malaysia says an analysis of the final known satellite signals from the plane shows it went down in the sea.

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