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Erin Burnett Outfront

Search Planes Taking Off Right Now; Bluefin-21 To Be Deployed For Fifth Mission; Flyers In Ukraine Ask Jews To Register With Government

Aired April 17, 2014 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: Next, a major blow to the investigations into the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

And breaking news on the sunken ship off the coast of South Korea. We're going to go there live. It is race against time, praying for air pockets to save nearly 300 people, most of them children missing.

And Chelsea Clinton makes a big announcement. Let's go OUTFRONT.

Well, good evening, everyone. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT, tonight, a blow in the investigation of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Search airplanes taking off at this instant. They're still trying to find any kind of visual proof. Investigators saying tonight the oil slick that they discovered, the results are in. It is not a plane.

At this moment, the best hope of finding it is the Navy's Bluefin-21. It's going down for a fifth mission. Any moment we're going to be getting the results of the fourth. That should break any moment, as we said. I'll be bringing that to you when it crosses. So far it has searched 46 square miles and has not found anything. The question tonight is whether there is a better way to search.

We're going to take a close look at another underwater vehicle that has frankly, better capabilities than the Bluefin. It actually found Air France Flight 447 at the bottom of the Atlantic. So why isn't it being used tonight?

And we're going to go live underwater inside a submersible, just to give you sense. We talked so much about the pressure and how dark and cold and terrifying it is down there. Well, as you see on your screen, our David Mattingly is inside a submersible. He is now in the process of making his descent. You're looking at that as it's going down to the bottom of Horseshoe Bay in Vancouver.

We're going to go live to David in just a few moments when we gets to the bottom so you can see how difficult it really is to operate in those conditions, how tight those quarters are, how hot and sweaty it is inside there. You're going to follow his progress in the box in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. We'll be talking to him in a couple of moments.

First though we begin our coverage with Michael Holmes who is live in Perth again for us. What is the latest there -- Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Erin, yes. Four dives now completed. The Bluefin-21 searching an area of nearly 50 square miles on those trips. Depths between 3200 and 4500 meters down. The third trip was a particularly successful one, they say, in terms of the operation, 19 hours all around. They have analyzed the data on trips one through three. Not showing anything of significance. But it is working well technically. They say they're getting great images from the Bluefin.

We're waiting on the results of dive number four. Should get that soon and dive number five should be under way. They've not confirmed it, but it should be under way. Now, in terms of how much -- how long is this going to take, initially, remember, we've been talking about it could take six to eight weeks to search the search area. Well, they narrowed that search area down dramatically now, and they're saying it could be really a week or two, the Australian prime minister saying that if they don't find anything, they will move to another area, another arc that they may go back and look at after re- examining all the data they've had.

But I will say this, Erin. There is a lot of people who are naturally pessimistic who are involved in this search, very cautious, not given to exaggeration. We are hearing whispers, though, that there is a high level of confidence among those who are conducting this search, that something will be found in the days ahead -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right, well, obviously, that is the hope that everyone has and the families of course of everyone on that plane. But how incredible it would be that they could find it. The Bluefin is what they're relying on. Obviously it's had its share of challenges so far in the search. First two dives cut short due to technical problems. There are questions about whether the Bluefin can dive deeply enough to find anything down there, and whether it can send back pictures that are clear enough. So is there anything out there that can do the job better? Rosa Flores has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This World War II era plane crashed off the coast of Massachusetts in 1947. For more than 50 years, it remained lost on the bottom of the ocean. Over a decade ago, an AUV, an autonomous underwater vehicle, discovered the missing plane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Having the right tool is always the best case that you're look for.

FLORES: Hydroid makes the Remus family of AUVs. This is the Remus 600. A larger AUV, the Remus 6000 found Air France Flight 447 in 2011. Mike Mulrooney was a senior field technician on that mission.

MIKE MULROONEY, FIELD SERVICE TECHNICIAN AT HYDROID: At the end of the day we knew what we were doing was to try to help people answer questions about what happened to that flight.

FLORES: The Remus 6000 can navigate in waters almost 5,000 deeper than the Bluefin 21, which is currently being used in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. After the Remus AUVs use side scan sonar to map the ocean floor, they usually come back with what is called low frequency images. These are pictures it took of the submerged plane in Massachusetts.

MULROONEY: And this shows up as different from the surrounding area, indicating that there is something on the bottom for us to go look at.

FLORES: But take a look at these images taken at a higher frequency.

MULROONEY: You can clearly see the body of the plane, the two wings.

FLORES: So why isn't the Remus 6000 in the Indian Ocean right now? The Navy tells CNN that when searchers asked the U.S. government for an AUV, the Bluefin-21 was the only deep water vehicle it had available, which raises the question is the best equipment being used to look for the missing jet? Rosa Flores, CNN, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: And joining me now, Richard Quest along with Vince Capone, an underwater search and salvage expert who helped find the engines from the Apollo spacecraft. They were found four decades after the shuttle launched 14,000 feet below the surface in the Atlantic Ocean. You just saw Rosa's report there. Is there a better way to search for this plane?

VINCE CAPONE, UNDERWATER SEARCH AND SALVAGE EXPERT: Not really. These guys are doing a great job. They are probably one of the most experienced search teams for deep water search ops especially for aircraft.

BURNETT: And so the Bluefin, there is other options, and we're going to be looking at a human submersible in a few moments. But that would be very difficult because of the human eye and what it can see?

CAPONE: You can only see 20, 30 feet with lights. Our sonars could see hundreds of meters. So we're literally creating images with sound.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: What about those AUVs that are tethered to the ship up above? There is a different AUV that is tethered to the ship that would send the data back in real-time?

CAPONE: Those are called ROVs, remotely operated vehicles. But those move very slowly and cover ground very slowly. The sonars don't operate as well from those. The autonomous vehicles can cover more ground quickly than those ROVs.

BURNETT: So how long are they going to go on this, Richard? Because you know, the prime minister, Tony Abbott of Australia told "The Wall Street Journal," quote, "We believe the search will be complete within a week or so." And you heard Michael Holmes say, look, there is some optimism they might find something. But if they don't, he said, "If we don't find wreckage, we stop. We regroup. We reconsider." He found the Apollo, what, how many decades after?

CAPONE: Four decades there.

BURNETT: OK, there is a possibility that they really believe it's there, but they don't find it.

QUEST: Yes. Yes. There is a real possibility.

BURNETT: Yes, yes, are you crazy for saying that?

QUEST: Look, Angus Houston was the one who said six weeks to two months or whatever, three months for the search area. But since he said that, when they first sent down the AUV, they have narrowed the area down to where they believe they can cover it in a matter of a couple of weeks. But if they do not find something there, then you're looking at plan b. They're not going to rush into plan b. They're going to go away and think well, first of all, do we now have to search the arc between the 6-1/2 ping and the 6-ping? That's 300 miles long and 30 miles wide. So that's going to be a major undertaking. They're going have to regroup, as they did with Air France 447, and which I suspect you did several times on projects you have done.

BURNETT: Did you look in huge, huge spaces like this could that could be hundreds of miles?

CAPONE: Yes. That's not uncommon, but I think these guys are in the right spot because those pinger locators that they heard don't travel that far through water. The fact that they were a couple of kilometers away is amazing in itself. We usually hear those only a kilometer or two away.

BURNETT: So you're not worried about one of them having been afraid that there is a lot of false positives?

CAPONE: No, I'm not afraid of that. The frequencies are close enough that you would expect that to be the pingers. And there is two so that would account for the disparity in ranges.

BURNETT: Fair point.

QUEST: Once you have crisscrossed and mowed the ocean, if you're still not certain, you find nothing, you be certain and have to go back and do it again, or do you do it so thoroughly you get it right?

CAPONE: You do it so thoroughly, you get it right. These guys have been doing this for over 30 years.

BURNETT: I haven't thought of that. That scared me for a second. Do it again. All right, thanks very much to both of you, but of course, we're going to be back with this in a moment. Because still to come we're going to check in with our David Mattingly. He is underwater right now in that submersible just about at the bottom, going to show us exactly what conditions are like at the bottom of the ocean. That's live.

And breaking news on the ferry disaster. Nearly 300 mostly children still missing after that ship capsizes. So how did the captain survive?

And a race against time. Are pockets of air, even though that ship is now underwater, are pockets of air keeping some of those children alive tonight?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: We are waiting the results of an underwater drone's fourth mission to find the remains of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Scheduled to come in any minute, but even if investigators are able to find the wreckage, bringing to it the surface will be a huge challenge given that so many people are now saying it could be intact. It also could involve a manned expedition three miles below the surface of the ocean. What would that be like? We've talked about how the pressure of a Cadillac Escalade on your fingernail.

Well, we wanted to see in real life. So we have David Mattingly now underwater. He is joining us from inside a manned submersible at the bottom of Horseshoe Bay in Vancouver. David, first of all, what is it like in there? My understanding is it has to be incredibly claustrophobic, hot, stuffy, what's it like?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good thing we like each other down here. Let me put it that way. We are shoulder to shoulder, toe to toe. But really, the important thing we're trying to illustrate down here are the conditions that someone would have to work in if they're actually going down to the bottom of the Indian Ocean to try and find the black box.

Now, look at the conditions of the water here right now. You see how cloudy it is? It would be just the same way at a couple of miles down at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. So right now we're going to have Phil Nuytten. He is going to try to take what we have as a mock- up of the black box, and you already have it in a claw. That in itself takes about 10 minutes.

PHILIP NUYTTEN, SUBMARINE AND SALVAGE EXPERT: Yes, it does. It takes a lot of very delicate finessing to get it in there.

MATTINGLY: And that can only be done down here close up. We're only about two feet away from the box that is right in front of us. If you could, show us how that arm would put into it the carrying box because you can't carry to it the surface like that.

NUYTTEN: No, that's right. You want to be able to put it in the box and hold it there with the arm.

MATTINGLY: Let's go. OK. Now, the point here is everything down here moves very, very slowly. If you move to fast, you can stir up the sediment and that's like sneezing into a handful of flour. You will be absolutely blinded for a while. You would have to wait for that to settle again before you could even move or do anything. And these are the best of circumstances right here. We're only 50 feet down. We've got decent light and it's still a task to put that one little box in that one little basket. There we go. So now you can take it up to the top.

NUYTTEN: Yes, you hold it in with the arms. So now it's being held securely in the arm with the basket.

MATTINGLY: So, Erin, you saw how that goes here under the best of circumstances. Now multiply the difficulty by hundreds, and that would give you an idea of what you're dealing with at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. Should it come to this where an actual manned submersible has to go down there and do this.

NUYTTEN: Yes. And the visibility may be much better.

MATTINGLY: OK. Go ahead, Erin.

BURNETT: I'm curious what he had to say. But also, David, how long you feel you would be able to stay there. As you said, the conditions would be similar to being three miles underneath the water. But it's dark down there, it's claustrophobic. Do you just feel this urge to get out?

MATTINGLY: Well, I don't. But this is the kind of environment that if you don't like tight spaces, it would really give you a problem. Also, even experienced divers like this, if you go down that deep a couple of miles down, Phil, I mean, you can start thinking about the dangers you're encountering and that in itself can be quite daunting.

NUYTTEN: Well, that's true. They don't feel any different. So if you were down at 20,000 feet inside a manned sub, you would feel exactly the way we do right now.

MATTINGLY: The way we feel right now is sort of cramped right now. We are shoulder to shoulder. This craft is made to go down about a thousand feet.

NUYTTEN: That's correct.

MATTINGLY: For three people. We actually have four in here right now. Ray, our photographer right here. I'm going to turn around. We have Jeff Heaton in the back. He is our pilot. He is the one who guides the submersible around while we're up here in front, trying to do the robotic work with the robotic arm here. So it's all very much a skill, something you have to develop. And there are so many dangers here.

Even right now there is a little bit of a current here, and our submersible is moving. So the position we were in is not completely steady. Again, multiply that by hundreds, and that's what you have to deal with under the incredible pressures down below at the bottom of the Indian Ocean.

BURNETT: All right, thank you to our David Mattingly. Richard?

QUEST: It's extraordinary. BURNETT: It is extraordinary.

QUEST: The one thing one can say is the likelihood of them having to use manned submersibles in that sense, submarines of one description, that sort of depth is unlikely. They're going do a full 47. They're going to do it by remote vehicles.

BURNETT: Like they did with the Air France --

QUEST: The big box that will go down once they're found.

BURNETT: So they're never going to need -- because part of me is curious is if this plane as they are saying in an unprecedented state of intactness, but an unprecedented state. Wouldn't they want a human eye on it?

QUEST: They would have cameras on it to start with.

BURNETT: And that would be enough?

QUEST: Well, that's a starting point. But if you look at "Titanic." "Titanic" was 12,000 feet. This is 15,000 feet give or take, and if you look at the difference, you may have to send some form of deep water sub down there to deal with some of those issues. But the bulk of the work would not be done. If that plane is substantially intact, which many people now believe --

BURNETT: Yes.

QUEST: Is highly possible. Maybe not as a total plane, then that will create an entire new box of issues that have to be tackled.

BURNETT: All right, thank you very much to Richard. And of course to our David Mattingly.

Still to come, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a question and answer session. And what a shock. NSA leaker, Edward Snowden was picked to ask a question. And we'll talk about the search for survivors on the ship.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: An escalating crisis in Ukraine tonight. Diplomats meeting for an emergency talk to try to ease tensions. President Obama and Russia's President Vladimir Putin, though, both shooting at each other today. Jim Sciutto reports from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Holding court on Russian television for nearly four hours, President Vladimir Putin took one question by videoconference from a surprise caller, American fugitive, Edward Snowden.

EDWARD SNOWDEN, NSA LEAKER: Does Russia intercept, store, or analyze in any way the communications of millions of individuals? VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We do not allow ourselves to do this and we will never allow this. We do not have the money or the means to do that. The most important thing is we have a special service that's thankfully under strict state control.

SCIUTTO: It was a ploy that appeared aimed directly at President Barack Obama. Nearly a year after Snowden revealed a secret NSA program to intercept the communications of Americans. The exchange one more in a growing battle between Washington and Moscow overshadowed a promising agreement reached between Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine.

It calls for pro-Russian protesters to leave public buildings they seized and the Kiev government to grant them amnesty. President Obama warned, however, that words must be matched with follow-through by Russia and its supporters on the ground inside Ukraine.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We have put in place additional consequences that we can impose on the Russians if we do not see actual improvement of the situation on the ground. And we have to be prepared to potentially respond to what continued to be efforts of interference by the Russians in eastern and southern Ukraine.

SCIUTTO: So far that progress is nowhere to be found. Three people were killed as Ukrainian forces attempted to retake one city. And today President Putin claimed the right to send his forces into Ukraine if he so decides.

PUTIN (through translator): I can remind you that Russia's Federation Council granted the president the right to use armed forces in Ukraine. I very much hope I will not have to use that right.

SCIUTTO: At the same time leaflets like this one began showing up on the streets in the eastern city of Donetsk, ordering Jews, ominously to register themselves and document their property with the pro- Russian government. Secretary of State Kerry expressed his disgust.

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: After all of the miles traveled and all of the journey of history, this is not just intolerable, it's grotesque. It is beyond unacceptable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Our reporters on the ground in Eastern Ukraine found that the distribution of these leaflets has been limited, but it really does show the danger that once these ethnic tensions, divisions are stoked there, even for political ends, Erin, they're very difficult to control.

BURNETT: All right, thank you very much, Jim. Amazing developments on that.

Well, next, we are following the breaking news of the sunken ship carrying hundreds of high school students. There are people still praying and the chance they may be alive tonight. Why were only a few lifeboats deployed? And how did the captain make it out completely safe and sound? We are live at the scene with our Kyung Lah.

Plus we have heard stories before of people surviving days by finding an air pocket in sunken ferries. We are wondering could this be the case tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Breaking news: a desperate race under way at this moment off the coast of South Korea to try to save nearly 300 people. Most of them are students, teenagers going on an overnight go away trip. They're trapped in what authorities hope are isolated air pockets inside an overturned ferry.

Tonight, only part of the boat is visible. What that means is there is still air pressure inside that ship. Powerful wind, though, and waves, horrible weather today are making it difficult for divers to go inside the boat to search for the missing.

On land, the South Korea government under pressure to determine what possibly could have caused a crash that so far has killed at least 25 people. And as we said, hundreds still missing. Officials say it appears the ship may have veered off course in heavy fog, though it doesn't appear to have hit a rock.

Also under investigation, the actions of the captain and the crew.

Kyung Lah is OUTFRONT live in Jindo, South Korea, tonight.

And, Kyung, obviously, it's now Friday morning there. What are you learning about the search? I mean, behind you, I can tell there is water and a ship there, but it looks like the weather is bad.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The weather is bad. And to add insult to injury, it's actually raining harder now than it has been for the last several hours as this third day of the search now begins. Those ships that you're seeing behind me not directly related to the search. The search is actually 12 miles further into the water.

It is still, though, Erin, a search and rescue. They are looking for survivors, according to the search crews, but certainly now hope is beginning to dim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAH (voice-over): From anguish to frustration, families of the missing passengers shouting out as they meet with South Korea's president and learn the horrifying details of how the disaster unfolded. This video shows the lifeboats, still attached to the ferry as it was sinking as passengers clung for their lives. CNN affiliate YTN reports only one of the 46 lifeboats was deployed. Video shows passengers sitting inside the sinking ship wearing their life jackets. Why? Because of the ship-wide announcement from the crew. ANNOUNCER: Don't move. If you move, it's more dangerous. Don't move.

LAH: "We were told to stay where you are," says this young passenger. "So, we stayed." But the water kept coming up.

South Korea is a culture that prizes obeying your superiors. Students told reporters that their classmates who listened to the stay-put order obediently remained in their rooms and likely never made it out. More than 300 of the 475 passengers were high school students on a four-day field trip, the first of the students' bodies are returning to their hometown.

Frustration mounting in the search area. Weather, including high waves, slowed the search for possible survivors. Several parents plan to take a boat to the accident site, but turned back after many of them became so upset that. They fainted.

Meanwhile, questions swirl around the captain, why he saved himself while hundreds of his passengers, many just children like this rescued 6-year-old girl were sinking in the frigid yellow sea.

"I am sorry," he told reporters. "I am at a loss of Words."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: Kyung, I know you had seen some of the text messages between the parents and their children. And I know there's an update on one of them. And the son had texted his mother, "Mom, in case I don't get to say this, I love you." And he sent this to his mother. She at that point had no idea whether was anything amiss. She said, "Why? Of course I love you too, my son."

And for a while we heard nothing from him, that he might have died.

What have you learned?

LAH: We actually have a happy update to this particular text message. We have learned that he was indeed rescued off of the ship. We're not certain if he was picked up in the waters off of the ship or if he was pulled out of the ship directly. But he has been reunited with his mom.

This sort of joyful upbeat news is part of the reason why we're seeing some of these family members who are gathered here at this dock side who are grieving, who are becoming increasingly frustrated, still holding on to their cell phones, Erin. They are hoping that somehow they're going to get a text message from their children because of stories like this. They're just not getting them.

BURNETT: Just imagine them clutching the phones.

I mean, you know, Kyung, you mentioned something about the culture in South Korea that was fascinating. People say gosh, if the ship was sinking, even if they stay below deck, wouldn't you just run to the top? Wouldn't you run to get out?

But that perhaps culture could have played a role in why so many students chose not to abandon ship. What exactly do you mean?

LAH: It's really unimaginable for most of us in the Western world, especially those of us who live in America to imagine staying aboard a sinking ship. But here in Korea, what is prized in children is obedience, respecting your elders. It's something that is drilled in you from the moment you are born. And that is something that is very strong in this culture.

And so, of course, if these children are told to stay put, and we're talking about children, many of them elementary age, many of them high school age, of course, they would stay put even if the ship is sinking. And that's what has families here so upset, because they were following the cultural enormous. Those norms, those rules should not have been executed in the way it was on that ship. That's what we're hearing from these families.

BURNETT: Kyung Lah, thank you very much. Some fascinating reporting on that. Also, it makes you think of Asiana and the other situation.

The U.S. Navy ship is in the area, assisting with search.

OUTFRONT now, Lieutenant Arlo Abrahamson, is spokesman for the U.S. Navy in South Korea. He joins me on the phone.

Lieutenant, are you still looking for survivors?

LT. ARLO ABRAHAMSON, U.S. NAVY (via telephone): Well, thank you for having me again, Erin.

First of all, I would like to say our thoughts and prayers remain with the passengers of this ferry and their families in this very difficult and uncertain time.

I can also tell you that our operations continue from the USS Bonhomme Richard. Well still have two MH-60 helicopters that are contributing to the search-and-rescue efforts. We also have liaison officers from the South Korean navy that are working with us to make sure we have good communication from our South Korean partners who we are supporting in the operation.

BURNETT: And the South Korean media is reporting the ship may have taken a sharp turn that may have caused some of the vehicles, because obviously this was a huge ferry, there were vehicles on board, to shift, and, in fact, could have caused it to capsize. Is that possible?

ABRAHAMSON: Well, Erin, I certainly don't want to speculate on that. That would be for the South Korean authorities to comment on.

But I can tell you from the U.S. Navy perspective, we are engaged in the -- we're engaged in the search-and-rescue operations. We still remain hopeful, and we're going to do everything we can to assist our partners in the South Korean navy and coast guard to bring back even just one more person to their family.

BURNETT: And on that point, when you say just one more person, Lieutenant, I mean, this is still a rescue mission, right? Not a recovery. You are still looking for people alive?

ABRAHAMSON: Yes, Erin. We're still tasked with supporting the South Korean navy and coast guard with search-and-rescue operations.

BURNETT: All right, Lieutenant, thank you very much for joining us again. We appreciate your time.

And still to come, more of our breaking news coverage. Right now, divers are trying to work their way into the capsized ferry, despite the wind and the waves because of this race against time to try to find passengers in air pockets. Could that be keeping people alive? The hundreds who are still missing.

And a huge announcement from Chelsea Clinton.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Breaking news in the desperate race to find the nearly 300 survivors who may be trapped inside the capsized ferry in the coast of South Korea. As you just heard from the U.S. Navy, they said yes, they are still right now looking for survivors, even though it has been a long time, almost two days in freezing cold water, 50 to 55 degrees, divers are now going inside the ship to try to find students that might still be alive, saved by these air pockets.

Time is of the essence, given how cold that water is. It causes hypothermia quickly. Efforts to pump air into the ship have so far failed because of the bad weather.

Tom Foreman is out front.

And, Tom, so -- when we look at the ship bow being up, I know they say that means air could still be air inside. Where are in the ship are divers looking for the air pockets?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They have to look for them in any place where there might be an airtight area, and otherwise where fate orifice sick physics might cause them.

It's a fairly robust vessel, Erin. It's about 500 feet tip to tip, about 75 to 80 feet across. There are five different layers on this. That's a lot of ground to search here -- some of them for cargo, more for passengers. There were some modifications to some of the passenger areas which seem to have added weight to the ship. So that will be one of the things they look at as to cause.

But when I talk about the physics, what I mean is this, when you hit this moment that the ship started rolling over, depending on where air and water were going here, you very easily could in fact produce air pockets inside the ship. Now how robust they are, we don't really know. And we don't know how big they are. We also know, Erin, that even if there are such things, after this much time, if there are any people in there, they could be using up that oxygen in an effort to force more air in there have not been very successful. So what they have to do is try, despite the rough seas you talked about, go through here a piece at a time, look for anything, tapping on the hull, listening to any signal that might suggest where one of these mysterious air pockets might be, and see if people could have lasted this long anyway, Erin.

BURNETT: And when you talk about surviving this long, Tom, what about the temperature? I guess there's two questions. One, if you're partially submerged in water at this temperature, how does that change the equation? And is it possible that there is an air pocket anywhere there would be say a full room that didn't have any water in it?

FOREMAN: If you're in a room that has air in it and no water in it, the issue truly is have you been using up the air there is so many people in there that you cannot use up the air if there are survivors. If you're in a room where you are wet at all, if you're talking 50 degrees or 55 degrees Fahrenheit, let's say 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, this difference would be quite profound if you had that much difference in temperature.

But even at this, your survival rate, you might be able to go 10 or 12 hours, or something like that at this level if you could conserve as much heat as possible, that means having clothes on to hold heat in. That means packing together if you can. That means getting as much of yourself up out of the water as possible.

But even at 60 degrees, the burden upon your body by hypothermia after this much time is really profound, Erin. It would be very difficult for people even if they have an air pocket in there and they're wet like this to find a way to survive this long, as sad as that is -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Tom, thank you so much.

You know, Tom is talking about the water temperature here. It is not unheard of for someone to survive days trapped underwater in an air pocket. Obviously, temperature makes all the difference.

Back in December, a Nigerian chef was on board a ferry, found an air pocket after the boat capsized, was able to survive nearly three days before divers were able to get to him. And you're looking at video of his rescue. Absolutely incredible. And -- well, frankly, impossible to imagine. But yet it happened.

Brian Peterman is a retired vice admiral for the U.S. Coast Guard and he's OUTFRONT.

And let me just ask you, sir. If there's a chance someone is onboard the South Korean ferry, if they found an air pocket, like the man from Nigeria did, obviously, the water temperature in this case is going to be vastly different. What would be the biggest threat right now to anybody who's alive's survival? VICE ADM. BRIAN PETERMAN, U.S. COAST GUARD (RET): Well, Erin, the biggest threat would be again temperature and being able to survive and they're -- if they don't have water, without food and water. These ships are designed to have watertight compartments. And it's apparent because the aft section sunk that the watertight compartments in the aft sections were compromised.

But because the bow section or front section seems to be afloat still, I think there's a good chance that there are still good air pockets in that forward part.

BURNETT: So, what about when you talk about Tom's reporting, if there is water in there this long after the vessel went underwater, people may not have been able to survive that. But is it possible that there are air pockets and rooms that are all air, that there isn't water in there and that there could be a lot of people in there?

PETERMAN: That's possible, yes. Because if they were able to close off the water-tight closures in those compartments before the flooding started, it's very possible that they're in dry compartments.

BURNETT: And would we have heard from them? Would you hear banging? I'm sure they're putting any sort of wireless thing that they can to get anybody's text signal or anything like that. I mean, does it concern you that we haven't heard from anybody?

PETERMAN: I think that is a concern. And I know that the divers are down there taking great risk trying to find those people and using every tool they have to try to locate them.

It's really a tough job because everything is upside down. It's disorienting. And trying to find people in that condition is really tough.

BURNETT: So, I know the divers have been trying to pump air into the ship to try to clear a pathway, to try to help anybody that was in a space, right, where they were running out of oxygen itself. They have little success because as you heard our Kyung Lah reporting, the weather is absolutely horrible, the waves, the fog. Is that oxygen that's going to be pumped in? Could that be the difference between life and death at this point?

PETERMAN: I actually think that the reason they're putting the air in there, if the people are in water-tight compartment, it's also probably air-tight compartments. So, just pumping outside of those airtight compartments, it won't get the air into them.

I think the reason they're doing that is to be able to keep the air pockets in that bow section, so the divers have easier to that section, diving in 20 or 30 feet of water is much easier and more productive and diving in 120 feet of water.

BURNETT: And interesting point. Now, what about the fact that the life boats all are there, they had lifeboats for more than 1,000 people. There were only 400 or so on the boat. So, they had enough, but they obviously didn't deploy. The captain is also believed at this point to have been one of the first to leave the ship.

Our viewers are going to thinking back to the Costa Concordia, which run aground, people lost their lives, the captain of the cruise liner facing multiple charges of manslaughter and abandoning ship. What do you make of this -- about this news, about the captain?

PETERMAN: Well, the captain has the responsibility for the safety of the ship, the cargo, the crew and the passengers. And that doesn't end in an emergency. I think that we heard some reports that he told people to stay in place.

And actually in the beginning of an emergency on a ship, the best place to be is on the ship. But when he realized the stability of his ship was compromised, that's when he should have gone into an abandoned ship mode. And it's just questionable whether that transmission was made very well.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much. We appreciate your time.

I want to check with Anderson Cooper with a look at what's coming up on "AC360".

Anderson, I know you're going to be talking about the ferry.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, Erin. We're going to lead in the program tonight with a breaking news about the ferry, the desperate and frantic search for survivors off the coast of South Korea. You mentioned the possibility of air pockets off the ship. We're going to speak with a rescue diver Butch Hendrik (ph). I'll ask him what the rescue effort looks like from underwater, how are survivors located and how are they reached in time? Could anyone still be alive there?

Also tonight, a different search of sea, of course, finding Flight 370, mission operation, preparing to send the Bluefin-21 back into the water. We'll talk with our panel about what's next, if the underwater device continues to come up empty. Also, take you underwater, show you what the mission will become if they find the 777. That's all at the top of the hour, Erin.

BURNETT: I have to tell you, I wouldn't be able to go down in that mission. I know David Mattingly has been going down. Gosh, yes, dreadful.

All right, thanks, Anderson. We'll see you in just moments.

And now to some big political news here at home. On a much lighter news, Chelsea Clinton has announced she is pregnant. And she does have all the politicos chattering.

Let's go to our senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar.

I mean, Brianna, this is not just a pregnancy announcement. This was something much, much more.

First of all, how did she make the announcement?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, she made this at the end of a Clinton Foundation event in New York this afternoon. She was there with her mom. They were talking about the women's and girl's issues, and then bombshell that after years of dropping not-so subtle hints, the Clintons are finally getting their wish come this fall, a grandbaby.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHELSEA CLINTON, FORMER FIRST DAUGHTER: I also want to thank you all for being such an inspiration to us and to me in particular. Marc and I are very excited we have our first child arriving later this year. And --

(APPLAUSE)

And I certainly feel all the better, whether it is a girl or a boy, that she or he will grow up in a world full of so many strong female young leaders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: You can tell by the camera there. We just kind of thought she was wrapping up. And that was not what happened.

You know, in October, Chelsea told "Glamour" magazine that she and her husband Marc Mezvinsky had decided that this year, 2014, was the year of the baby. But this did come as a surprise today. She had managed to keep it under wraps until and big congratulations from her parents on Twitter from Hillary Clinton. She said my most exciting title yet, grandmother-to-be. Bill Clinton saying that he's excited to be grandfather-to-be, Erin.

BURNETT: You know what's amazing is how much everyone is talking about this and I think that says something about just the political relevancy and importance of this family, right? I mean, how does this play into 2016 and Chelsea's own political ambitions?

KEILAR: Yes, that's right. Because she -- Chelsea is more open to this. But Hillary first, you know, I have heard this argued both ways by those close to Hillary Clinton who want her to run in 2016. You know, some have said she might not want to miss out on being a grandparent. Campaigning takes so much time. Not necessarily being in the White House but the campaigning is just such all-consuming.

Conversely, though, some have said the possibility of being the first female president really is an alluring legacy to leave a grandchild. Maybe it would spur her that much more to run. And then, Erin, when it comes to Chelsea, she seemed more open to perhaps running for office. There's been no timetable for that. A lot of people have wondered, but when it comes to her ambitions, it's really hard to tell how or if this would affect them.

BURNETT: All right. Well, it's pretty interesting, I have to say, Brianna. I mean, were you surprised at all? I mean, this got announced? And it was not a surprise, all right? I mean, all of a sudden, it's everywhere.

KEILAR: Yes. Well, you know, I think we sort of thought it was coming at some point. But I'll tell you, I was surprised today. I did not know it was coming today.

And I screamed when I heard it to be honest. I mean, it really did sort of catch me off guard, you know? So I think people were surprised that she could really kind of keep all the rumors at bay.

BURNETT: All right. Well, thanks very much to Brianna.

And still to come, a cat leaps from a third story window and survives a fire. And it was caught on tape. You wondered about the nine lives? Well, Jeanne Moos, of course, has the story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: An apartment complex on fire, a cat trapped three floors up. What happens when you put these two things together? Something miraculous.

Here is Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even a cat has no choice but to jump times, but a raging fire at this Florida apartment complex was one of those times. The cat on a hot third floor, first retreated, scared by the firemen, but when things got too hot Charlie Jasper jumped. Landed on his feet and kept going. Firemen found Charlie a short distance away.

Joshua Alessio (ph) said he had lost everything except the cat that shared his apartment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cat just had burned paws, a couple of scratches.

MOOS: As well as an injured jaw.

Now, maybe you heard of cats surviving falls from as high up as 34 floors, so what's the big deal about three floors?

(on camera): Well, actually cats that fall from lower floors tend to have worse injuries than those that fall from higher ones.

(voice-over): "National Geographic" reported on a study done at New York's Animal Medical Center.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It seems the cats that fall from higher stories have enough time to reach free fall like a parachutist and a relaxed.

MOOS: There was nothing easy about these two newborn kittens who were actually packed up and shipped 130 miles to this Cox Communication warehouse in San Diego. (on camera): Employees got suspicious when someone heard meowing.

(voice-over): Meowing coming out of the three-by-five crate. One of the workers called a nephew who works at the San Diego Humane Society.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They actually came to us with their umbilical cord attached.

MOOS: The Humane Society's president figures the mother cat probably gave birth in or near the crate.

DR. GARY WEITZMAN, PRESIDENT, SAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY: She actually made a nest in this box because it was quiet and secluded and secure.

MOOS: And then the box got shipped with the kittens inside.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're fat and happy. That's a nice little fat belly right there.

MOOS: They're named Wi-Fi and Mouse, and will be put up for adoption, since they came shipped in a communications crate, no wonder they're such great communicators.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: I am just praying that cat story really did have a happy ending.

Thank you so much for joining us. We'll see you again tomorrow night.

Anderson starts now.