The surprising underwater discovery of scientists searching for the remains of the missing Malaysian plane

On March 8, 2014, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 flying between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing disappeared while flying over the Indian Ocean.. Even today, as the tenth anniversary of the catastrophe approaches, in which 239 people died, the remains have not yet been found.

But the remains of flight MH370 are still being searched, and although the missions have not been successful, other things have been found. This is what happened in 2015.

A group of scientists searching for the wreck of the plane came across some surprising remains that, for a few hours, they took to be those of the missing plane.

But in reality, as reported by The Sun, they were the remains of two 19th century shipwrecks that had mysteriously disappeared on a dangerous shipping route in the southern Indian Ocean.

The two shipwrecks were discovered 1,400 miles off the coast of Western Australia. It is believed that they were two ships loaded with coal that may have been sunk by a deadly explosion on board, something that frequently happened when methane gas from the cargo accumulated below deck.

Upon closer inspection, sonar images showed parts of the ship's water tank, anchors and small fittings, all of which are believed to be part of a wooden construction, according to a report from the Western Australian Museum.

But most of the debris on the sea floor was coal that is believed to have spilled out of the hull due to a “catastrophic event such as an explosion.”

During the height of the Industrial Revolution, demand for coal skyrocketed, which meant more ships transported the dangerous cargo to Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.

But keeping large quantities of coal below the ship's deck meant that methane gas could build up and easily spark or overheat causing huge explosions that would sink an entire ship.

The wreck was on a key shipping route to Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, the Roaring Forties, a route with strong westerly winds year-round in the Southern Hemisphere.

A trip between Europe and Southeast Asia

Experts believe that the explosion occurred when the ship was traveling from Europe to a Southeast Asian port such as Singapore, Hong Kong or even Australia.

While researchers were unable to determine the exact identity of the ship, they did narrow it down to two likely vessels: the 395-ton wooden ship Magdala was lost in 1882 during a voyage from Penarth, Wales, to Ternate, Indonesia, with a coal cargo.

And the wooden brig W. Gordon, a 286-ton ship, was lost in 1876 on a voyage from Glasgow, Scotland, to Adelaide, Australia, probably with coal on board.. Experts believe the ships had between 15 and 30 crew members on board and all died.

But just a few months later, another conundrum of Victorian shipping was solved when advanced underwater equipment detected a second shipwreck.

In December, the most complete remains were photographed using sonar just 22 miles (35 km) from the site of the first 19th-century ship.

It was thought to weigh between 1,000 and 1,500 tons and was located three thousand meters below sea level. There was no evidence to explain what may have sunk the iron ship, but experts believe its location means it may have been trying to reach a nearby Australian port for help.

Experts were able to narrow the wreck down to three ships: the Kooringa, Lake Ontario and the West Ridge. Investigators believe the West Ridge freighter is the most likely match.

This ship sailed for Bombay from Liverpool with a cargo of coal in the hull and a crew of 28 sailors in 1883. But records from the time suggest that the cargo was well ventilated and high seas and bad weather may have caused the ship to take on water and sink.

“These are the deepest shipwrecks yet located in the Indian Ocean and they are some of the most remote shipwrecks in the world, so we try to maximize any information,” says Dr Anderson of the Western Australian Museum.