Malaysian Airlines Plane MH370 Search Update: Australian Authorities Deny Object on Sea Floor is the Missing Flight

Oct 22, 2015 12:05 PM EDT

Experts behind the search for Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 have ruled out an area of the seabed as being the final resting spot for the missing Boeing 777 airliner.

Days ago, U.S. firm Williamson and Associates claim they have photos showing undersea objects that may belong to MH370. The company also alleged that contracted searchers may have missed areas where pieces of the plane could have settled. However, officials at The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) believe that the objects in the question could be little more than undersea rocks.

"We consider it unprofessional to draw conclusions based on the limited information provided by the images in the search update report," an ATSB spokesman said, as quoted by Daily Mail. "There are no indications that there is anything possessing the characteristics of an aircraft debris field and, therefore, a visual imaging run at very low altitude ... was unnecessary. We know that this kind of public commentary is very distressing for the families of those on board the aircraft."

In August, a piece of an aircraft known as a flaperon was recovered at Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. This part is believed by investigators as being part of the ill-fated passenger liner. An analysis of the part revealed serial numbers consistent with those found on a Boeing 777. The only known aircraft that has gone missing in the area is the one flown by Malaysian Airline's Flight MH370.

Despite the ATSB response, Williamson and Associates are adamant that the objects in the photos warrant further investigation.

"These images do not appear to be geology as such. They're certainly worth another look, and by that I mean putting down a camera," Williamson and Associates Special projects manager Rob McCallum explained, according to the Express. "It's not a difficult thing to do, and it's better to be certain for the sake of all of the families."

The firm was previously responsible for the rediscovery of HMAS Sydney, an Australian cruiser that was lost with no survivors after a fierce battle with a heavily-armed German merchant vessel in World War II.

Malaysian Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, while on routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The majority of passengers onboard were Chinese nationals numbering 239. The plane is believed to have crashed somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Official voices behind the subsequent investigation insist that the search will continue. Until, circumstances behind the mysterious disappearance remain unknown.