Teams searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane have reacquired signals that could be consistent with "black box" flight recorders.

Australian vessel Ocean Shield heard the signals again on Tuesday afternoon and evening, the Australian official leading the search said.

Work is continuing to refine the search area before a submersible can be sent down to search for wreckage, he said.

Flight MH370 disappeared on 8 March, carrying 239 people.

It was travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it lost contact with air traffic controllers.

Malaysian officials say that based on satellite date, they believe it ended its flight in the southern Indian ocean, thousands of kilometres from its intended flight path.

The Ocean Shield has been using a towed pinger locator to listen for signals from the plane's flight recorders in waters west of the Australian city of Perth.

It twice acquired signals over the weekend.

On Tuesday, it located the signals again, the first time for five minutes and 32 seconds, and the second time for around seven minutes, Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston said.

(BBC)