Two more 'pings' detected in search for missing Malaysia Airlines jet

Two new "ping" signals were detected near the suspected crash site of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, boosting hopes that searchers might be close to finding the jet. Earlier today, Australian officials indicated the sounds might be coming from the plane's black box recorders, bringing the overall number of "pings" detected to four within the past few days.

"I believe we are searching in the right area but we need to visually identify aircraft wreckage before we can confirm with certainty that this is the final resting place of MH370," said Angus Houston, the head of the Australian agency that's leading search efforts. "I'm now optimistic that we will find the aircraft, or what is left of the aircraft, in the not too distant future."

Authorities are racing to find the black box, which stores crucial cockpit data, since its batteries are expected to expire at any moment.

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