Current:Home > ContactMalaysia may renew hunt for missing flight MH370, 10 years after its disappearance -ChatGPT
Malaysia may renew hunt for missing flight MH370, 10 years after its disappearance
View
Date:2025-04-13 05:29:06
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s government said Sunday it may renew the hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 after a U.S. technology firm proposed a fresh search in the southern Indian Ocean where the plane is believed to have crashed a decade ago.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Texas-based Ocean Infinity has proposed another “no find, no fee” basis to scour the seabeds, expanding from the site where it first searched in 2018. He said he has invited the company to meet him to evaluate new scientific evidence it has to find the plane’s final resting place.
If the evidence is credible, he said, he will seek Cabinet’s approval to sign a new contract with Ocean Infinity to resume the search.
“The government is steadfast in our resolve to locate MH370,” Loke told a remembrance event to mark 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.”
The Boeing 777 plane carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing, vanished from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014. Satellite data showed the plane deviated from its flight path and was believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.
But an expensive multinational government search failed to turn up any clues, although several pieces of debris washed ashore on the east African coast and Indian Ocean islands. A private search in 2018 by Ocean Infinity also found nothing but the tragedy sparked moves to bolster aviation safety .
K.S. Nathan, a member of the Voice MH370 group comprising next-of-kin, said Ocean Infinity initially planned a new search last year but it was delayed by the delivery of its new fleet of ships and assets. It is now on track to resume the hunt, he said.
Loke declined to reveal the fee proposed by Ocean Infinity if it finds the plane, as this is subject to negotiation. He said financial cost is not an issue and that he doesn’t foresee any hindrances for the search to proceed if all goes well.
Loke’s response sparked tears of joy in some family members at the event held in a mall in a Kuala Lumpur suburb.
“I’m on top of the world,” said Jacquita Gomes, whose flight attendant husband was on the plane. She said she is thankful that she may now have a chance for full closure and 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.
veryGood! (173)
Related
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Another round of powerful, dry winds to raise wildfire risk across California
- Pennsylvania is home to 5 heavily contested races for the US House
- NASA video shows 2 galaxies forming 'blood-soaked eyes' figure in space
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Colorado US House race between Rep. Caraveo and Evans comes down to Latino voters
- Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood have discussed living in Ireland amid rape claims, he says
- TGI Fridays bankruptcy: Are more locations closing? Here’s what we know so far
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- What It's Really Like Growing Up As First Kid in the White House
Ranking
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- Jonathan Haze, who played Seymour in 'The Little Shop of Horrors,' dies at 95: Reports
- Independent US Sen. Angus King faces 3 challengers in Maine
- A Quaker who helps migrants says US presidential election will make no difference at the border
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Ruby slippers from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ are for sale nearly 2 decades after they were stolen
- Man faces fatal kidnapping charges in 2016 disappearance of woman and daughter in Florida
- GOP Rep. Andy Ogles faces a Tennessee reelection test as the FBI probes his campaign finances
Recommendation
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
Democratic-backed justices look to defend control of Michigan’s Supreme Court
Jayden Maiava to start over Miller Moss in USC's next game against Nebraska, per reports
Marshon Lattimore trade grades: Did Commanders or Saints win deal for CB?
Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
CFP bracket prediction: LSU rejoins the field, as Clemson falls out and Oregon holds No. 1
Easily find friends this Halloween. Here's how to share your location: Video tutorial.
Voters deciding dozens of ballot measures affecting life, death, taxes and more