'Highly likely' jet was on autopilot: Australia

[SYDNEY] Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was almost certainly on autopilot when it ran out of fuel and crashed, Australian officials said yesterday as they announced their search will shift further south.

Investigators have been grappling with the mystery of the Boeing 777's disappearance on March 8 with 239 people on board, spending months scouring the Indian Ocean in vain.

An expert group has reviewed all the existing information and Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said it was now "highly, highly likely that the aircraft was on autopilot" when it went down.