Here’s another angle that’s being ignored...last year, Boeing directed operators of its various jets to replace Honeywell Emergency Locator Transponders on their aircraft. The models involved included the 777-200. A Honeywell transponder on a 787 owned by Ethiopian Airlines caught fire on the ground in London and heavily damaged the aircraft.
Not sure if an ELT fire would be enough to produce a catastrophic failure in a 777, but it might explain why there have been no reports of an ELT signal from the crash site. Of course, most of the nit-wits in the media aren’t even aware that jetliners are outfitted with ELTs, but their various “experts” are. You’d also think they would mention the recent problem with the ELTs on Boeing jets.
ELT’s do not transmit from under water.
It's not what the news agencies report, it's what they deliberately conceal that tells the real story.