Passenger plane carrying 239 people vanished without a trace... Search to resume after 10 years

Disappeared in the Indian Ocean After Route Deviation in 2014
Wreckage Not Found Despite 3 Years of Search

Malaysia has decided to resume the search operation for the Malaysia Airlines MH370 aircraft, which disappeared without a trace 10 years ago.

On the 21st (local time), foreign media including the AP reported that the Malaysian government accepted the proposal from the U.S. marine exploration company Ocean Infinity to re-search the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 flight MH370. Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke stated at a press conference, "The cabinet approved the re-search last week, and we plan to finalize the contract negotiations early next year." Minister Loke also explained, "The proposal was approved because it is reliable," adding, "The new search area is based on the latest information and data from experts and researchers." He further said, "We will fulfill our responsibilities and duties for the families," and added, "This time, we hope to find the wreckage and provide relief to the families."

Malaysia Airlines MH-370 Aircraft Disappearance 10th Anniversary Memorial Event. EPA Yonhap News Agency

Ocean Infinity plans to search an area of 15,000 square kilometers off the coast of Western Australia for 18 months. If the company discovers significant parts of the missing aircraft wreckage, it will receive a reward of 70 million dollars (about 101.5 billion won). Previously, the company cooperated with the Malaysian government in 2018 to conduct a three-month search for the missing plane but failed to find any wreckage. The company explained that exploration technology has improved since then, and this time they are deploying many experts and analyzing data to narrow down the search area to the most likely locations.

The Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight, carrying 239 people including 227 passengers and 12 crew members, took off from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, on March 8, 2014, heading to Beijing, China. However, it suddenly turned toward the Indian Ocean and disappeared 40 minutes after takeoff. Malaysian authorities did not rule out the possibility that the aircraft deliberately deviated from its route and cooperated with China and Australia to search an area of 120,000 square kilometers in the western Indian Ocean over three years. However, the joint search ended in January 2017 without any results.

In the 2018 report on the missing aircraft, Malaysian authorities concluded that it was highly likely that the flight MH370 deviated from its route due to intentional manipulation of the controls. However, since the fuselage and black boxes were not found, no clear conclusion could be drawn about the cause of the accident. Some have suggested that the captain committed suicide by flying the plane, but no suspicious issues regarding the financial status or mental health of either the captain or the first officer were found. The disappearance of MH370, one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history, was even made into a three-part series on Netflix last year.