Malaysia Is Resuming MH370 Search, 10 Years After Its Mysterious Disappearance — Know Why
The Malaysian govt has approved a renewed search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, missing since 2014. The search will be conducted by Ocean Infinity a no-find-no-fee principle.
MH370 Disappearance: More than 10 years after the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared on its way to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian government has given its approval to resume the search for the wreckage of the Boeing 777 aircraft in the southern Indian Ocean. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Friday they agreed to resume the search so they could "give closure to the families", media reports said.
The Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew when it disappeared on March 8, 2014, leaving the world in shock. It remains one of the greatest aviation mysteries in the world.
"Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin...We hope this time will be positive, that the wreckage will be found and give closure to the families," Loke said at a press conference, according to a Reuters report.
#UPDATE Malaysia has agreed to a proposal to launch a new search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared mysteriously 10 years ago, the transport minister said Friday.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 20, 2024
"The proposal for a search operation by (US-based exploration company) Ocean Infinity is a solid… pic.twitter.com/e5hGhJ9opP
MH370 Disappearance: What Happened On March 8, 2014?
The MH370 flight took off early Saturday, March 8, 2014, from Kuala Lumpur. The destination was Beijing. It was all normal initially, at least for the first 40 minutes, when the last transmission was recorded as the plane entered Vietnamese air space, over the Gulf of Thailand. The pilots signed off, and its transponder was turned off. Soon after, it lost communication with air traffic control, and according to reports, radar showed the plane had deviated from its planned path.
According to the Reuters report, military radar detected the plane deviating from its intended flight path, first looping back over northern Malaysia, then heading out toward the Andaman Sea before turning southward. Shortly afterward, all contact was lost.
Debris have since been found along the coast of Africa, and also on islands in the Indian Ocean, though not all are believed to be from the missing plane.
The last search for the aircraft was carried out in 2018, the same year a 495-page report into its disappearance was submitted. The report did not offer any conclusion on what happened to the Boeing 777, saying that it depended on recovery of the wreckage, and who was responsible for the tragedy, though the investigators said the controls of the aircraft could have been deliberately manipulated to go off course.
Giving a clean chit to the captain and the co-pilot, the report said nothing suspicious was found in their background, mental health, training, and financial affairs.
Why The MH370 Search Is Being Resumed
It was Ocean Infinity, the exploration firm that conducted the last search, that came up with the proposal to resume the search for the missing plane, Loke told the media.
According to him, new data had been presented by multiple experts on the possible location of the wreckage, and Malaysia had assessed it.
Stating that Ocean Infinity was confident that locating the wreckage was still possible, the minister said: "Our team has gone through (the data) and they felt that it is credible.
The Reuters report said the search spanning 18 months would cover the seabed of a new area, and that a contract would now be signed as per which Ocean Infinity would get $70 million if they find substantive wreckage. There will be no fee if they find nothing.
While the search will cover an area of 15,000 sq km, no precise location was given.
Asked if the effort will see success this time, Loke said expecting a commitment would be unfair. "At this point of time, nobody knows for sure. It has been over 10 years."
Families Welcome Move
There were at least five Indian nationals onboard the plane. Others included more than 150 Chinese and 50 Malaysian passengers, besides those from France, Indonesia, Australia, the United States, Canada, and Ukraine, among others.
Families of the passengers have welcomed the Malaysian government's decision to begin a new search for the wreckage.
Jiang Hui, whose mother was on the flight, told Reuters: "We hope the Malaysian government can adopt a more open approach, such as offering a public reward system where anyone can participate in the search.
"I am so happy for the news... Feels like the best Christmas present ever," the New Straits Times quoted Jacquita Gonzales, the wife of MH370 inflight supervisor Patrick Gomes, as saying.
For Intan Maizura Othaman, wife of cabin crew member Mohd Hazrin Mohamed Hasnan, the announcement brought "mixed emotions - hope, gratitude, and sorrow".
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