Five aircraft in the international effort to find the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 have spotted multiple objects during today’s search covering a total of 256,000 square kilometres.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said photographic imagery of the objects was captured and will be assessed overnight.

“The objects cannot be verified or discounted as being from MH370 until they are relocated and recovered by ships,” said AMSA.

A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P3 Orion reported sighting a number of objects white or light in colour and a fishing buoy. A Royal Australian Air Force P3 Orion relocated the objects detected by the RNZAF Orion and reported it had seen two blue/grey rectangular objects floating in the ocean.

A second RAAF P3 Orion spotted various objects of various colours in a separate part of the search area about 546 kilometres away. A total of ten aircraft were tasked by AMSA in today’s search and all have now departed the search area.

AMSA has also tasked Chinese Maritime Administration patrol ship Haixun 01 which is in the search area and will be in a position to relocate the objects on Saturday.

Friday’s search area was shifted north after international air crash investigators in Malaysia provided the latest credible lead available to AMSA.