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Families Walk Out of Briefing in Protest; Death Toll to Rise in Washington Landslide; Russian Troops Massing on Ukraine Border

Aired March 28, 2014 - 09:00   ET

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: That's it for us today. Have a great weekend, everyone. Chris is back here on Monday.

"NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello begins right now.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks a lot. Have a great weekend.

NEWSROOM starts now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Breaking overnight, a major shift in the search.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This continuing analysis indicates the plane was traveling faster than was previously estimated.

COSTELLO: New credible radar information moving efforts closer to the Aussie coast. So what was in these satellite images? Are we really back to square one?

Families of the passengers fed up and furious walking out of a meeting with Malaysian officials accusing them of a cover-up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roger.

COSTELLO: This, as investigators turn their focus on the pilot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Estimate the area complete.

COSTELLO: How often should pilots be psychologically tested? Breaking new details coming in every hour.

A special edition of NEWSROOM starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for joining me this morning.

A new direction and possibly new leads in the search for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. Just minutes ago we learned that five patrol planes have spotted objects in a brand new search area that was first checked only hours ago. It's nearly 700 miles from yesterday's search area.

The sea-saw of emotions and seemingly endless contradictions proved too much, though, for the families of those aboard Flight 370. They stormed out of this morning's briefing overwhelmed by frustration and fear that the search is once again starting over.

CNN's Andrew Stevens is at the hub of that search, Perth, Australia. Tell us more.

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, this could be a significant new development. As you say, just in the past few minutes the search coordinators, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, say that five of the 10 planes which were over that new zone today have all spotted debris. Photos have been taken and they will be assessed overnight.

They can't confirm anything, they can't verify anything and they can't discount anything at this stage. This is what they're saying. Let me tell you what's being seen. A New Zealand Air Force plane went up and saw a number of white or light objects in color. Significantly an Australian Air Force plane went up after that and re-located the same objects. The first time this has happened. We've had an actual re- location of an earlier sighting.

The Australians said that they saw two blue/gray rectangular objects. And about 300 miles away another Australian plane saw several other objects of different colors so that's three planes there plus another two have also spotted objects, Carol. This as the search is moved a significant distance away from that southern area. As you say 700 miles into the -- north of the Indian Ocean which puts it much closer to Perth which means planes can stay on station for much, much longer.

This is significant because it comes after new analysis of the -- of the radar images that the investigators have been working with. That analysis suggests that the plane was actually flying faster than first thought. It was flying faster which meant it was burning more fuel and it came down long before the southern search area. Seven hundred miles to the north in this new search zone.

There is going to be a ship on station at those -- at the -- in the area where those objects are some time tomorrow. It's there in the search zone at the moment. It's a Chinese search vessel. It's the only one there. The rest of the fleet is still coming up from the southern end of the ocean. They're going to be on station perhaps tomorrow. But we could in the next 24 hours or even earlier, Carol, get some actual eyes on.

Some of these objects actually taken on board a vessel to be identified one way or the other, Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, we hope that happens. Andrew Stevens, thanks so much.

I want to take a closer look at that new search area right now. Let's head to Washington and CNN's Tom Foreman.

This area much closer to shore, right?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's closer to shore.

COSTELLO: Relatively speaking.

FOREMAN: Yes, relatively. But you've got to keep in mind the scale of all of this because we've gone through this day after day. Yes, first time planes have spotted it but this is still a huge, huge task. Here's Perth over here. Follow this path out here. We were about 1600 miles away. That's where we led to. The search area, that yesterday, there is so much focus on. See all those dots down there. That is where all those satellite images were the people were interested in.

And look at that, 47,000 square miles. Remember, there's 47,000 square miles. Now we're talking about this other area up here to the north. That red section up there is what we're talking about. So this is really a substantial distance away and here's what I think is worth bearing in mind, Carol.

When the Air France plane went down off the coast of South America and that ended up out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean there, the surface debris was spread out mainly on a trail of about three miles. A very limited scope compared to anything we're talking about here, and when they finally went down and did the side scan sonar and found the debris at the bottom, it would have covered just a few football fields, the actual thing you're looking for where the data recorders are and everything else.

So let me bring that out from here and just sort of thrust it out in the room. We're going to drop that down on one of these search areas we're talking about, and look at this. It's not that size, it is a pin prick. A pin prick in that area.

So, Carol, again, just because it's worth having caution in all of this. Even if they can sight the stuff again, that's a huge accomplishment that they have, even if they can get to it and pull it out of the water, even if it proves to be part of the plane, after all these days of drifting and currents out there, finding that pin prick under the water where the actual wreckage of the bulk of the plane might be with data recorders, that is still a gargantuan task.

And I would argue it's a much bigger task than what they've taken on so far. Because in Air France they did four searches that cost I think around $45 million over two years before they finally found the debris at the bottom of the ocean and they knew where it was compared to this.

COSTELLO: Even one small piece of debris would be vital for them at this moment. One small piece of that plane, right?

FOREMAN: Yes. It would end the basic question. It would -- or at least help answer the basic question, are the authorities right that the plane went down in this area? That would at least help with that. And that would certainly help all these families out there who have been dying for some sense of real knowledge, real sense and relief from their uncertainty in all of this. But it would not tell us what's happened to the plane, why it went down.

COSTELLO: Tom Foreman, thanks as usual.

So what about those satellite images that inspired searches in the Southern Indian Ocean for the past 10 days? Are they of no value at all? Maybe not. One Australian official is now downplaying their significance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN YOUNG, GENERAL MANAGER, AMSA: We have not seen any debris. And I would not wish to classify any of the satellite imagery as debris nor would I want to classify any of the few visual sightings that we've made as debris. And that's just not justifiable from what we have seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But the Malaysian transport minister says the new search area, quote, "could still be consistent with objects spotted by those satellites thanks to ocean drift."

You heard what Tom say.

I want to bring in Colleen Keller, a senior analyst with Metron, Incorporated. She helped in the search for Air France Flight 447.

Your firm has been modeling currents to track where the debris could have gone. So let's talk about this new search area and the new debris spotted by these five planes, all different colors. First of all, I want to get your take on this.

COLLEEN KELLER, SENIOR ANALYST, METRON, INC.: Well, it was an interesting curveball, Carol. And we're just going to have to go with the flow here. I mean, this is the nature of search. You know, we started with it could be anywhere in the -- in that hemisphere of the world and we've narrowed it down to the Southern Indian Ocean now. This is just -- you know, when new data comes in you have to roll and move to the new area.

It's not throwing away efforts to say that we've searched in the south. We actually -- you know, we never picked up a piece of debris so to look at it that way, we really -- we just never saw the airplane down there. So the fact that new information has come up and moved us up to the north, it's good from a sense -- a logistical sense that we're closer to land. We can get the towed pinger locators our there quicker. I know that ship leaves tomorrow morning for the search area.

And those are the sensors that are really going to put us on the target, not just picking up debris. So it's very important that we get those sensors in the water soon.

COSTELLO: So going back to those five satellite images that, you know, they were basing their search on for the last 10 days. Could those images have shown us nothing at all? KELLER: Well, there's a lot of garbage in the ocean even down in the Indian Ocean. We heard various reports that the southern I.O. is pretty clean but there's still a lot of trash there. So those reports until we have something picked up, they were just potential. So I don't think that -- you know, there's no validity to those reports unless we saw something.

COSTELLO: Well, the interesting thing is, is they worked this out using mathematics, I think, right? With this new area where the plane probably went down based on the speed in which it was traveling, and then these planes flew over that area and I would assume they saw these objects floating with their naked eye, five different planes spotted debris in the ocean.

So I don't know. It just seems -- I don't know what to think. That means the satellite images that we've been talking about for the last couple of days mean nothing and we shouldn't have relied so heavily on them maybe?

KELLER: The satellites are very far away and they only have certain resolution. It was worth investigating, but I think it spoke volumes that we never actually spotted this stuff from the aircraft. The way that the analysis has gone so far just to recap is that the satellite pings put us in the southern hemisphere. We narrowed it.

They should have taken that and overlaid it with the aircraft's endurance based on its last radar last hit. And they've just refined that calculation now. So we're just narrowing in on what -- you know, using the data that we have. Now if we can pick up some debris to corroborate it, then we'll really be in the ballpark.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about all the garbage that's in the ocean. Is it likely there's more garbage closer to Australia than farther out?

KELLER: I think the currents in that region come from the north so it's possible that this is an Australian garbage after all but I'm not an ocean expert.

COSTELLO: Gotcha. But in your mind, this is more hopeful sign?

KELLER: I -- I think it's good that they're going back and revisiting the data. This is the kind of analysis I would have expected, and I think that we're narrowing down the search area, yes.

COSTELLO: Colleen Keller, many thanks. We appreciate it.

KELLER: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Malaysian officials face empty seats after Flight 370 families walk out of a briefing in protest. We'll talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Families of Flight 370 passengers have been demanding answers for three weeks now. Today, they again took action in dramatic fashion. Some 154 relatives walked out of a briefing in Beijing in protest. One accused Malaysian authorities of hiding facts saying people will be held accountable.

CNN's David McKenzie is with family members in China.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For days, family members have been sitting, listening calmly to briefings from Malaysian authorities. Many of them complaining they're not getting the answers they want. So, today they stood up.

This man ended up saying that they are united, that the Malaysian authorities have been hiding the truth and that they will get their punishment. All of the family members stood up and walked out.

This hotel has been their environment for weeks now, stuck in a cycle of meetings, recrimination and anger. Now, they say they want to go to K.L. to complain.

David McKenzie, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: David McKenzie reporting.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM: Up to 40,000 Russian troops move closer to the Ukrainian border. CNN's Karl Penhaul is there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Washington state is bracing for more heartache today as authorities are expected to report a substantial rise in the death toll from that devastating landslide north of Seattle. At least 17 bodies have been recovered now, 89 people are still missing.

But as search crews battle the mud and rain, some families are just beginning to mourn their losses.

Ana Cabrera has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A heroic moment in the midst of tragedy. An infant pulled from the wreckage of the deadly landslide.

KODY WESSON, RESCUED BABY FROM LANDSLIDE: I was just the right guy there at the right time.

CABRERA: It was Saturday, just minutes after this hill collapsed on a community below, when Kody Wesson rushed into the disaster zone after hearing cries for help.

WESSON: I could see the baby's face. He was all bruised up. He wasn't breathing very good, and he wasn't moving. CABRERA: The baby's mother also trapped in the mud and severely injured.

WESSON: She said his name was Duke. I asked if I could take him out of there. She said yes.

CABRERA: In a brave and bold move, Kody, a young father himself, scooped up the baby and ran to rescuers who just arrived.

WESSON: There was a ripped up roof on the mud and I laid the baby on that. I ripped off my jacket I had on, wrapped him up on that.

CABRERA: Baby Duke and his mother are survivors, but here not all stories have the same happy outcome. One hundred fifty rescue workers, countless volunteers and heavy machinery are up against Mother Nature. Mud piled three stories high, tons of toppled trees, and scraps of scattered homes. Dozens are still missing and a death toll still expected to rise.

Dayn Brunner's days of digging through the debris finally led him to his sister, Summer Raffo.

DAYN BRUNNER, VICTIM'S BROTHER: We were cutting roofs off, she was sitting right in her driver's seat. We got her out enough. Then I wrapped my arms around her.

CABRERA: Closure for Steven Neal's family as well. The 52-year-old plumber was identified among the deceased.

BRENDA NEAL, VICTIM'S WIFE: Of course, we melted. I dropped the phone and I screamed a little bit.

CABRERA: Now, the daunting task of moving forward.

NEAL: We just can't think of life without him.

CABRERA: Ana Cabrera, CNN, Darrington, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Tensions are mounting in Ukraine. U.S. officials say as many as 40,000 Russian troops are positioned near its border with Ukraine. Those troops and Russia's recent annexation of Crimea are sparking fears of a further incursion into Ukrainian territory.

President Obama spoke to CBS News about his concerns over this Russian military buildup.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You've seen a range of troops massing along that border under the guise of military exercises, but these are not what Russia would normally be doing, and, you know, it may simply be an effort to intimidate Ukraine or it may be the big additional plans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Karl Penhaul is near the Russian/Ukrainian border.

Karl, how are Ukrainian forces responding to these forces on the ground?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) eastern Ukraine now, Carol. The Russian border is just a few miles that way. That is where the Pentagon says 40,000 Russian troops are now digging in with tanks and with attack helicopters.

The Ukrainian government says that number could almost be double that. Now there is buildup of Ukrainian military, but it is really the story, I think.

These are civilians, but they're just organized themselves in self defense committees. You see them in uniforms. Some of them have British uniforms, some have American uniforms, some have German uniforms that they've bought from army surplus stores, and these are the men who have left their civilian jobs.

They're going to dig in as well. We're going to help our armed forces because they're going to need all the help they can get if the Russian forces come through.

If I can, I'll show you a little bit of the defenses they have made. Car tires here, they've been putting up barricades here. They say if the Russian troops come across, they'll set light to that. They'll set up physical smoke screens in case the Russian tanks rolled through here.

A little bit back here, they've been digging trenches here. There's a network of trenches around here, I'll show. They've been doing here as well.

Of course, what these civilian self-defense forces say is this is maybe a gesture in vain. They realize that the Russian army is well- prepared, well-equipped and will be moving very far, but they say they have experiences from their fathers and grandfathers from World War II and they say what they're going to do is break down into partisan and guerrilla groups and then fight the Russians if they come across.

Of course, that is still a big if because what the Pentagon is still telling us is they don't know what the real intentions of the Russians are, whether it's just to create political destabilization or whether they genuinely intend to come into eastern Ukraine and try and annex parts of Russian speaking Ukraine, Carol.

COSTELLO: Karl Penhaul reporting live. It's unbelievable. The Russians -- you know, they have such military might, tanks, the Ukrainians are ready to fight them with, well, not much, frankly.

We'll check back with Karl Penhaul in the Ukraine. We didn't want to stay with that shot but it's going to go out. But -- it's unbelievable. President Obama meeting with the Saudi Arabian king in Riyadh today, too. Saudi Arabia is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East as you know. But that relationship has grown more complicated. Saudis aren't happy with the United States reaching out to Iran to stem that country's suspected nuclear aspirations. More on this in the next hour of NEWSROOM.

Still to come, multiple new objects spotted in the search for Flight 370 as the search shifts to a different part of the Indian Ocean. Richard Quest is in New York. He'll join us in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)