The technology and logistics matter little, however, to the villagers of Kuda Huvadhoo, the capital of an atoll lacking radar in a country with outdated and severely limited defence and air traffic equipment. Several people we spoke to believe they saw MH370 about 6.30am (9.30am in Malaysia) that day.
Zuhuriyya Ali, 49, who watched it from her home's courtyard, still "feels strange when thinking about the people on it". "I consider it a lot,'' she says. "I am concerned there is a connection to the Malaysia plane."
Ahmed Shiyaam, 34, an IT manager at the local medical clinic who was riding with his daughter, Uyoon, 6, along one of the island's sandy paths that morning, stopped and looked up on March 8 last year — they had never seen such a large plane fly so 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, who saw it from his garden, also described it to us in confident detail.
"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."
Back on the exact spot where he was standing on March 8 last year when he saw the aircraft, Abdu Rasheed Ibrahim says: "First, I saw the plane flying towards me over water. When it was over my head I saw it starting to turn away. At first glance, I did not know it was a missing plane. I didn't know that a plane was missing. I went straight home and told my wife about it. I told my family, 'I saw this strange plane'. This is the biggest plane I have ever seen from this island. My family says, 'It might be the Malaysian plane'. I have seen pictures of the missing plane — I believe that I saw that plane. At the time it was lost, I strongly felt those people who were searching should come here."
The Weekend Australian spent three days interviewing locals, all of whom described the incident in a similar way. Six of the key witnesses we spoke to were interviewed last year by police at the direction of authorities in Male, and each signed statements of their versions. A senior source familiar with the police probe confirmed the witness accounts were regarded as truthful and consistent. The office of the new President in Male declined to comment; his immediate predecessor is languishing in a nearby prison.
"These people were not seeking attention and they did not go to the police about it, the police went to them after hearing about this,'' the source says. "They are not dishonest and they have no motive to lie. They all told the police it was big, low and noisy. If it was not the missing plane, then which plane was it? We do not see planes close and low to Kuda Huvadhoo. Nobody knows what has really happened."
.
etc. You know stuff that could at least eliminate some possibilities.
