First image released of MH370 search

A new image has been released of the search for MH370, more than nine months after the flight went missing.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released the image, which shows a sonar impression of the sea floor in the southern Indian Ocean.

"The image is a synthetic aperture sonar acoustic image of the seafloor gathered by GO Phoenix," the ATSB said in a statement.

"This is indicative of the resolution and quality of the data and that it is revealing important detail of the seafloor."

The fate of MH370 remains a mystery after it vanished on March 8.

It was carrying a total of 239 people including passengers and crew.

Investigators believe the plane crashed into the Indian Ocean, but no sign of the plane has yet been found.