Australian Defence Force Chief of Joint Operations Lieutenant General Greg Bilton says underwater searches for the MRH90 Taipan has found further debris including parts of the cockpit and human remains.

"The debris field is consistent with a catastrophic, high impact [crash]. Sadly I can confirm unidentified human remains have also been observed in this location by the remote operated underwater vehicle.

“Due to the nature of the debris field positive identification of the remains is unlikely to occur until we recover more of the wreckage.”