The hunt for missing flight MH370 has widened and become more difficult, Malaysia’s transport minister has said.

At a news conference, Minister Hishammuddin Hussein also officially requested international help to find the plane.

“We are now looking a large tracks of land crossing 11 countries as well as deep and remote oceans. The number of countries involved in this search and rescue operation has increased from 14 to 25 which brings new challenges of coordination and diplomacy.’‘

Investigations into those on the plane or in close contact with it before take off are also being re-examined Hussein said: “The Malaysian authorities are refocusing the investigations on all crew and passengers on board MH370 as well as all ground staff handling the aircraft.”

The political and religious leanings of MH370’s flight crew also seem to be gaining increasing importance into what happened to the jetliner.

Police are focusing their investigations on the plane’s pilot and co-pilot with reports that the two crewmembers had requested not to fly with each other.

As for the search for MH370 itself, that now covers a massive area, in two large corridors from Central Asia to the Indian Ocean.