UPDATE: A new search for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 has officially launched today, over a decade after the jetliner vanished with 239 people on board. Ocean Infinity, a marine robotics firm, is deploying advanced underwater technology to scour approximately 5,800 square miles of seabed in the Indian Ocean over the next 55 days.
The search area, previously explored in 2018, is being targeted now with improved tools and software that may finally lead to the discovery of the wreckage of MH370. The aircraft mysteriously disappeared on March 8, 2014, shortly after departing from Kuala Lumpur en route to China, diverting from its intended path before vanishing from radar.
Despite small pieces of wing debris that have washed ashore in Africa, crucial elements such as the main wreckage and the aircraft’s black boxes remain missing. Families of the passengers have endured over eleven years of uncertainty and anguish, and this renewed search fuels hope for answers.
The Malaysian government emphasized its commitment to this effort, stating, “The search will be carried out in a targeted area assessed to have the highest probability of locating the aircraft. This latest development underscores Malaysia’s dedication to providing closure to the families affected by this tragedy.”
This search comes after a prior attempt was halted in April due to severe weather conditions.
Theories surrounding the fate of MH370 continue to circulate, with one prominent hypothesis suggesting a possible pilot suicide, where the captain deliberately concealed the plane’s location before crashing it into the ocean. The pilot’s family has consistently refuted this claim. Another theory posits that the aircraft might have executed a controlled ditching due to fuel exhaustion, a stark contrast to the idea of intentional destruction.
Without the main wreckage, investigators remain unable to definitively determine what transpired on that fateful flight. Locating the wreckage could provide pivotal evidence and answers long sought after by the families and the global aviation community.
As Ocean Infinity embarks on this critical mission, the world watches closely, hoping for a breakthrough that could finally shed light on the enduring mystery of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370.
