Update | More pings raise hopes that plane wreckage will be found soon

Two more underwater signals had been detected in the hunt for flight MH370, officials said yesterday, raising hopes that wreckage of the plane would be found within days.

The "pings" were picked up during a sweep of the Indian Ocean on Tuesday by the Australian naval vessel Ocean Shield.

Angus Houston, who is leading the search operation, said sounds detected in the same area last week had been analysed and were "consistent with the specification and description of a flight data recorder".

"[The analysts] therefore assess that the transmission was not of natural origin and was likely sourced from specific electronic equipment," he said.

"I'm now optimistic that we will find the aircraft or what is left of the aircraft in the not too distant future, but we haven't found it yet because this is a very challenging business."

Despite the two new detections, Houston acknowledged that search crews were running out of time in the hunt for the Malaysia Airlines aircraft's two black boxes, as batteries powering transmissions run down.

Signals picked up at the weekend were held for more than two hours, while the latest sounds lasted for just five-and-a-half minutes and seven minutes.