DHAKA: Rescue crews have put no time limit on the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.

Australian prime minister Tony Abbott has said, reports the BBC.

Abbott told reporters near Perth, where the operation is being co-ordinated, that the hunt for flight MH370 was still being stepped up.

Ten aircraft and 10 ships are scouring the sea west of Perth for debris from the airliner.

The Beijing-bound plane disappeared on 8 March with 239 people on board.

The signal from its flight-data recorder lasts about 30 days.

The search teams are deploying a special tool known as a ‘towed ping locator’ to find the recorder, which will be used once debris from the plane has been found.

BDST: 1727 HRS, MAR 31, 2014