DHAKA: Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak will travel to Perth on Wednesday to observe search operations firsthand.

Malaysia’s Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said on Monday, reports The Straits Times.

Najib will be there to ‘thank everyone involved in search’, Hishammuddin said at a press briefing.

Echoing Australian prime minister Tony Abbott’s earlier remarks, Hishammuddin said the international cooperation in the search is ‘nothing short of tremendous’.

The Australian vessel Ocean Shield, fitted with a device known as a towed pinger locator and an underwater drone equipped with electronic sensors for detecting the black box`s signal, will arrive at the search area on Thursday, he said.

The search area on Monday covered 254,000 sq km, he added.

BDST: 1711 HRS, MAR 31, 2014