After a 3-year long underwater search for Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) flight MH370 yielded no results, it has officially beed suspended.
MH370 was believed to have ended in the Indian Ocean off Australia’s west coast after it disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on 8th March 2014 carrying 239 passengers and crew.
Since then, 3 countries have been leading the search for the missing plane in a $160 million deep-sea hunt.
Last month, the search was reduced to one ship when Chinese ship Dong Hai Jiu 101, which was hunting for debris with a remotely operated vehicle – a device tethered to a ship by a cable – returned to its home port of Shanghai.
In a joint statement from Chinese, Australian, and Malaysian officials, the plane “has not been located” in the 120,000 square kilometre (46,000 square mile) search area of the southern Indian Ocean.
“Despite every effort using the best science available, cutting edge technology, as well as modeling and advice from highly skilled professionals who are the best in their field, unfortunately, the search has not been able to locate the aircraft,” the statement said, adding that the decision to suspend the underwater search has not been taken lightly nor without sadness.
MH370’s disappearance remains one of the world’s biggest aviation mysteries. In July last year, Australia, China and Malaysia agreed that if the aircraft was not located by the time 120,000 square kilometres (46,000 square miles) had been covered, the search would be suspended.
Sources: CNN, AFP via CNA, AP / Featured image: DNA.
