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Malaysia to Resume Search for Missing MH370 After Decade-Long Mystery

Malaysia to Resume Search for Missing MH370 After Decade-Long Mystery
Source: Reuters
  • PublishedDecember 20, 2024

More than ten years after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Malaysia has agreed in principle to resume the search for the missing Boeing 777, Reuters reports, citing Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

The move comes as a renewed effort to bring closure to the families of the 239 passengers and crew aboard the aircraft that vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

The new search will focus on a previously unexplored area in the southern Indian Ocean, based on a proposal from Ocean Infinity, the exploration firm that also conducted the last unsuccessful search, which ended in 2018. Ocean Infinity will receive a payment of $70 million upon the discovery of substantive wreckage, Loke confirmed at a press conference.

The disappearance of MH370 remains one of aviation’s greatest unsolved mysteries. While Malaysian investigators initially considered the possibility of deliberate diversion, the lack of conclusive evidence has left many questions unanswered. Over the years, debris believed to be from the aircraft has washed ashore on the coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean, offering fragmented clues to the plane’s final resting place.

The case has had significant international ramifications, particularly involving the more than 150 Chinese passengers on board. Relatives have pursued compensation claims against Malaysia Airlines, Boeing, Rolls-Royce (the engine manufacturer), and the Allianz insurance group.

The previous search effort, a joint operation involving Malaysia, Australia, and China, covered a vast 120,000 square kilometer (46,332 square mile) area of the southern Indian Ocean. This area was selected based on data from communications between the aircraft and an Inmarsat satellite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written By
Michelle Larsen