17 January 2017•Update: 17 January 2017
By P Prem Kumar
KUALA LUMPUR
The search mission for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have been officially called off after 34 months of intense search efforts, keeping hundreds of family members puzzled on the whereabouts of the ill-fated aircraft.
A tripartite committee - comprising of China, Australia and Malaysia - announced on Tuesday it has officially decided to cease the ongoing search efforts after not discovering any major clue to locate the aircraft.
The current search assets have completed the earmarked 120,000 square kilometers in Southern Indian Ocean, the committee said in a joint statement.
The joint statement was signed by Malaysia's Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai, Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Darren Chester and China's Transport Minister, Li Xiaopeng.
They said the intense search has not been able to locate the aircraft, despite efforts using the best science available, cutting edge technology, as well as modelling and advice from highly skilled professionals who are the best in their field.
"Accordingly, the underwater search for MH370 has been suspended," the ministers said, representing the tripartite committee, which is entrusted to take all important decisions pertaining to the search operations of MH370.
The ministers said whilst combined scientific studies have continued to refine areas of probability, to date no new information has been discovered to determine the specific location of the aircraft.
They also explained that today's announcement is significant for all three countries, but more importantly for the family and friends of those on board the aircraft.
"We again take this opportunity to honor the memory of those who have lost their lives and acknowledge the enormous loss felt by their loved ones.
"We remain hopeful that new information will come to light and that at some point in the future the aircraft will be located," they said.
Flight MH370, carrying 239 passengers and crew, disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur enroute to Beijing on March 8, 2014.
The jetliner has yet to be found despite massive search operations in the southern Indian Ocean where the aircraft was believed to have ended its flight after diverting from its original route.
The search and rescue mission -- which began immediately after -- involved some 160 assets as well as experts from 25 countries.
To-date, at least six pieces of aircraft debris found along Africa’s east coast have been confirmed as “almost certainly” coming from MH370.
After 10 months of intensive undersea search for the vanished flight, on Jan. 29, 2015 Malaysia declared that MH370 was lost in an accident, killing all passengers.
On July 29 last year, a piece of aircraft debris was found washed ashore on the French island, east of Madagascar. The debris -- believed to be from a Boeing 777 -- was sent to Toulouse, France, for analysis the following day.
Days after, Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that the flaperon was from MH370, and that the flight indeed ended in the Indian Ocean.
On July 22, a ministerial tripartite meeting decided to suspend the search operations for MH370, after completing the current earmarked 120,000 square kilometers search area.
