Fresh hope for families of passengers on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

04 March 2024 , 10:37

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Family members have new hopes as the government said a new search could be launched (Image: NAZRI MOHAMAD/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

The families of people on board missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have been given new hope as the country's officials push for a renewed search for the plane.

This Friday marks 10 years since the Boeing 777, which was carrying 227 passengers and 12, disappeared while en route from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, to Beijing in China. In 2017, Malaysia, Australia and China ended a two-year underwater search for the aircraft - estimated to have cost $130million (£102million) - with no answers to the mystery.

On Sunday, Malaysian officials said they may renew the hunt after a US company that was already involved in the search back in 2018 proposed a fresh search in the southern Indian Ocean. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said he would invite Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity to brief him on its latest "no find, no fee" proposal, stressing that the government is determined to do what it can to find the missing aircraft.

Relatives of passengers gathered for a Day of Remembrance yesterday (Supian Ahmad/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)

The southeastern Asian country's government has long said it would not support another search without new leads on the plane's location. However, Mr Loke said that if the evidence is credible, he will seek Cabinet's approval to sign a new contract to resume the search.

"The government is steadfast in our resolve to locate MH370," Mr Loke told a memorial event marking the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of the jet. "We really hope the search can find the plane and provide truth to the next-of-kin."

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The Boeing 777 plane vanished from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014. Satellite data showed the plane deviated from its flight path to head over the southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed.

This week marks 10 years since the plane disappeared (Supian Ahmad/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)

An expensive multinational search failed to turn up any clues, although debris washed ashore on the east African coast and Indian Ocean islands. A private search in 2018 by Ocean Infinity also found nothing.

The tragedy sparked moves to bolster aviation safety. V.P.R. Nathan, a member of the Voice MH370 next-of-kin group, said Ocean Infinity initially planned a search last year but it was delayed by the delivery of a new fleet. It is now on track to resume the hunt, he said.

Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Punkett told the New Straits Times that the company had improved its technology since 2018. "We now feel in a position to be able to return to the search for MH370," he told the English-language daily. "We've been working with many experts, some outside of Ocean Infinity, to continue analysing the data in the hopes of narrowing the search area down to one in which success becomes potentially achievable."

Officers standing next to a piece of debris from an unidentified aircraft found in the coastal area of Saint-Andre de la Reunion (AFP/Getty Images)

Mr Loke declined to reveal the fee proposed by Ocean Infinity if it finds the plane, saying it is subject to negotiation. He said cost is not an issue and that he doesn't foresee any hindrances to the search. Mr Loke's response sparked tears of joy in some family members at the memorial, held in a mall in a Kuala Lumpur suburb.

"I'm on top of the world," said Jacquita Gomes, whose husband was a flight attendant on the plane. She said she is thankful that she may now have a chance for full closure and to say a final goodbye. "We have been on a roller coaster for the last 10 years. ... If it is not found, I hope that it will continue with another search," she said.

Family members of passengers from Malaysia, Australia, China and India paid tribute to their loved ones during the event, lighting a candle on stage to remember them. "No matter if it is 10 years, 20 years or more, as long as we are still alive ... we will not cease to press for the truth. We believe the truth will eventually come to light," said Bai Zhong, from China, whose wife was on the plane.

Chiara Fiorillo