Razak told the press conference that the firms have concluded that MH370 flew along the southern corridor, and that its last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth.
On Monday, Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak told the families of the ill-fated passenger flight MH370 to assume “beyond reasonable doubt” that the plane drowned in the southern Indian ocean and there were no survivors.
The announcement was made at a late-night news conference in Kuala Lumpur after the conclusion of fresh analysis of satellite data tracking the flight came. The fresh analysis was provided by British satellite firm Inmarsat, which provided satellite data, and the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
Razak told the press conference that the firms “have concluded that MH370 flew along the southern corridor, and that its last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth”. “This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites. It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean,” he added.
Flight MH370 disappeared after taking off on 8 March from Kuala Lumpur. There were 239 people on board, many of them Chinese.
Until now, a big international search operation has been taking place in the southern Indian Ocean, along the southern arc or corridor of the plane’s possible route, more than 1,500 miles (2,500km) off the south-west coast of Australia.
In the past day, both Australian and Chinese air force crews have reported spotting debris. These unidentified objects are spread over the vast search area on remote waters in separate parts.
The search operation is currently on halt due to bad weather.
Also read: #MH370: What Do We Know ABout Missing Malaysian Airline
The UK satellite firm Inmarsat, which gave the most reasonable and most valuable analysis, had revealed that it received signals – automated “pings” – from the plane over its satellite network after the aircraft ceased radio and radar contact. According to the BBC, flight MH370 continued to ping for at least five hours after the aircraft left Malaysian airspace – which indicated the plane was intact and powered.
BBC further reports that Inmarsat’s method of analysis included comparing the satellite data of previous Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 flights to that of missing jet. After spending all weekend crunching numbers, the engineers were able to conclude that the plane went south.
The engineers have yet not been able to pinpoint the final position of the plane. However, it has been ascertained that the plane was flying at a cruising height above 30,000ft.
As reported by many news agencies of the world, the families of the people onboard missing plane are in great shock. After Razak’s statement, many of the family members, who were preset in the conference venue, collapsed and were taken to the hospital.
Some have accepted that their loved ones will return no more but most of them want proof of the fresh analysis made public. A woman was quoted by BBC saying, “If my daughter is alive, I want to meet her. If my daughter is dead, I want to see her body.”
As far as the extent of analysis goes, it is yet to be answered as to why the plane changed its route and hovered over southern Indian ocean for seven hours? Why did the communication systems were shut down by the pilot? And why did nobody from the crew or among the passengers tried to establish a contact if there was any foul play?
Accepting this mystery indeed is hard.
