DHAKA: Australia and Malaysia were on Tuesday set to discuss the next phase of the search for missing flight MH370, with the cost of the unprecedented mission on the agenda.

Officials said, reports The Straits Times.

Malaysia’s costs have so far been about one-tenth of the US$84 million Australia expects to spend on the search for the plane, which disappeared while travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing three months ago.

‘The government has allocated A$89.9 million. I think about A$25 million of that is to go the defence force for the visual search they conducted,’ said Angus Houston, head of the search’s Joint Agency Coordination Centre.

An additional A$60 million has been allocated to the underwater operation in the southern Indian Ocean where the plane is believed to have crashed in Australia’s search and rescue zone.

‘That money has been allocated but we're still to crunch... or still to negotiate the burden-sharing with for example Malaysia,’ he added.

BDST: 1630 HRS, JUNE 10, 2014