Off The Record
The Search For The Missing MH370 Flight May Begin Again Now That New “Credible” Information Has Been Found
Following the release of new information, the undersea search for the elusive missing MH370 jet may resume.
More than ten years after the plane’s disappearance, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 remains at the center of the most well-known aviation mystery in contemporary history.
The plane, which was carrying 239 passengers, took off from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, on March 8, 2014, headed for Beijing, China. However, midway through the flight, it oddly veered off course and vanished from radars.
Since then, conspiracy theories have been rampant, and while some evidence has been found along the road, there is still no explanation for why it vanished.
In the years after, teams from all around the world have been looking into the case, and it appears that the search is still ongoing.
Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, November 5, Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke disclosed that the government is in negotiations with a marine exploration firm based in the United States over resuming the hunt for the missing aircraft.
They are known as Ocean Infinity, and they have suggested searching a 15,000 square kilometer area off the coast of Western Australia in the Southern Indian Ocean.
Loke said: “Based on the latest information and analysis from experts and researchers, Ocean Infinity’s search proposal is credible and can be considered by the Malaysian government as the flight’s official registrar.”
The terms and expenses are thought to be included in a draft deal that the firm and the Malaysian government are now negotiating.
Loke added: “Should it be finalized? Cabinet approval will be required, and I will make a public announcement.”
‘No find, no fee’ is the adage used to describe Ocean Infinity’s search.
The corporation will receive $70 million (£54.28 million) if they can find the jet, which has been missing for nearly 11 years.
Search operations have been expensive thus far because the first undersea search, conducted in 2014 by Malaysia, China, and Australia, covered an enormous 120,000 square kilometers in the southern Indian Ocean.
It was canceled in January 2017 after nearly three years and an estimated $150 million (£116 million) in expenses.
Ocean Infinity had previously conducted a search for the aircraft, with its initial effort in 2018 being offered on a “no find, no fee” basis.
They searched 112,000 square kilometers north of the first target region over the course of three months.
Dr. Lam Choong Wah, a defence expert from Universiti Malaya, has proposed that Malaysia collaborate with China on the most recent hunt.
He suggested to the local publication Strait Times: “As most of the passengers on MH370 were Chinese, Malaysia should not hesitate to collaborate with Beijing.”
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