Residents of a small island in the Maldives claim to have seen a plane similar in appearance to Malaysia Airlines MH370 shortly after the plane went missing. Footage: Lyndon Mechielsen

Residents of a small island in the Maldives claim to have seen a plane similar in appearance to Malaysia Airlines MH370 shortly after the plane went missing. Footage: Lyndon Mechielsen

COULD a small Indian Ocean island in the Maldives hold the key to unlocking the mystery surrounding missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370?

In Kuda Huvadhoo some villagers believe an aircraft they saw last year could be the missing flight. Locals on the 60ha Island are questioning why investigators involved in the search for the Boeing 777 haven’t asked them about it.

Several told The Weekend Australian they saw the red and blue markings similar to that of the plane which was heading in that direction after departing Kuala Lumpur.

“I watched this very large plane bank slightly and I saw its colours — the red and blue lines — below the windows, then I heard the loud noise,’’ says Abdu Rasheed Ibrahim, 47, a court official and the ­island’s keenest hobby fisherman.

“It was unusual, very unusual. It was big and it was flying low. It was a holiday (Saturday) and most people had gone to bed after praying.”

Humaam Dhonmamk, said he also saw the markings on a plane. He said it flew over as he was bringing his washing in from the clothesline.

“I saw the blue and red on a bit of the side.

“I heard the loud noise of it after it went over. I told the police this too.”

For the past year, the Australian-led search had focused on the southern Indian Ocean.

That search was based on a calculation of ‘pings’ between satellights and the plane, estimated fuel, weather conditions, time, likely impact and other flight variables.

But, incorrect data could mean the search is in the wrong place.

Zuhuriyya Ali, 49, who said she believed she watched it from a courtyard in Kuda Huvadhoo still felt strange thinking about the people on the flight.

“I consider it a lot ... I am concerned there is a connection to the Malaysia plane.”

IT manager Ahmed Shiyaam, 34, said he was riding with his daughter that morning when he stopped and looked up at the sky and saw a plane fly low.

“I’m very sure of what I saw on a very clear and bright day, and what I saw was not normal — the plane was very big, and low. I did not know until later that other people saw it too. I don’t know if it’s the Malaysia plane.”

Ahmed Ibrahim, 40, said he believes he also saw the flight from his garden.

“This was not a normal sight — the plane was different,’’ he says. “It was very big, very noisy, flying low. Later that afternoon on the beach I was told the news about the missing plane. I think this is the same flight.”

Read more in The Weekend Australian.