The search for the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 by a leading marine robotics firm has been suspended due to seasonal challenges, leaving families devastated as they mark more than a decade since the aircraft’s disappearance.
Malaysia’s transport minister, Anthony Loke, spoke to AFP about the decision, saying: “They have stopped the operation for the time being, they will resume the search at the end of this year.”
He emphasised that current seasonal conditions made the continuation of the search untenable but did not specify the details of these seasonal impacts. Additionally, he said: “Right now, it’s not the season.”
The Boeing 777, known as Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew when it vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. It has entrenched itself as one of aviation’s most perplexing unsolved mysteries and is also recognised as the deadliest incident involving a single aircraft disappearance.
The recent halt follows shortly after officials had renewed hopes by announcing that the search operations were set to resume after prior exhaustive yet unsuccessful explorations across the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean, reports the Mirror.
In commemoration of the plane’s 11th anniversary last month, Chinese relatives of those onboard gathered outside official premises and the Malaysian embassy in Beijing, clamouring poignantly, “Give us back our loved ones!”. Other anguished family members displayed banners with the plaintive appeal, “When will the 11 years of waiting and torment end?”.
An initial search conducted by Australia, covering a staggering 120,000sq km (46,300sq miles) over three years, proved to be largely fruitless, uncovering only a handful of debris fragments. In 2018, Ocean Infinity, a maritime exploration firm from the UK and US, embarked on an equally unsuccessful expedition and has agreed to pursue another attempt this year.
Their latest venture worked on a “no find, no fee” basis, with the company poised to receive payment from the Malaysian government only if they successfully locate the aircraft.
Loke maintained a cautious stance about the search’s success, declaring in early April: “Whether or not it will be found will be subject to the search, nobody can anticipate,” signifying the uncertain nature of locating the plane’s remnants.
Since the vanishing of MH370, there has been an explosion of hypotheses, stretching from the credible to the downright bizarre.
These include allegations that experienced pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah commandeered the plane. Despite numerous theories, the true cause remains elusive.
However, a thorough report released in 2018 exposed oversights by air traffic control and confirmed manual alterations to the flight course.
Yet even after this comprehensive 495-page enquiry, the mystery endures, with officials unable to conclusively explain the disappearance or rule out interference by someone other than the pilots.
Relentlessly seeking answers, the families of those lost on MH370 continue to demand clarity from Malaysian authorities. Among the passengers, two-thirds were Chinese nationals, joined by individuals from Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, and various other nations.