Recovering the debris of the missing Malaysia Airline passenger jet from the search area the size of Victoria is reportedly getting critical as the time to locate the black box is nearing its end.
The black box, which is an aviation technology that could provide glimpse into what exactly went wrong with Flight MH370 would give out pings only for 30 days and it is feared that if the device isn't located, the mystery behind the plane's disappearance would never be unlocked.
According to news.com.au, Commodore Peter Leavy, commander of Joint Task Force 658, said that the black box's beacon locator is certified to last another nine days.
Although it is hoped that the battery may last 'a little while longer' than April 7, search crews are in a race against clock before the beacon runs flat and its signal stops.
Commodore Leavy said that the 'unprecedented' multinational mission was searching an area the size of the state of Victoria in 'extreme' ocean conditions.
Dr Alec Duncan, an expert in underwater acoustics at Curtin University, said that searchers would need to get as close as possible to the beacon to limit other background noises, such as whales, masking the ping, the report added.