New Efforts to Locate Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Set to Begin

Malaysia's transport ministry announced that the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 will resume on December 30, marking a renewed effort more than a decade after the aircraft vanished without a trace. The deep-sea search is set to last for 55 days, focusing on targeted areas that are believed to have the highest likelihood of locating the missing jet. The Boeing 777, which disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing on March 8, 2014, carried 239 people, including five young children and 12 crew members. Most of those aboard were from China, with additional passengers from countries such as the United States, Indonesia, France, and Russia. Previous search efforts, which concluded due to adverse weather conditions in April, did not uncover any hints of the plane’s location, although some debris has washed ashore on the East African coast and various Indian Ocean islands. This latest endeavor is being carried out by the US-based marine robotics company Ocean Infinity, who will operate under a no-find, no-fee contract. The Malaysian government has committed to pay Ocean Infinity $70 million only if the wreckage is discovered. The last significant search mission, which was a multinational effort, failed to yield substantial results, leading to ongoing distress among the families of those aboard. The cabinet’s favorable resolution in March for Ocean Infinity to conduct a search in a new 15,000 square kilometer area of the ocean exemplifies the Malaysian government’s dedication to provide closure to the affected families. With the new search beginning in the coming weeks, hopes are cautiously optimistic that this effort may finally lead to answers regarding the fate of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Related Sources: • Source 1 • Source 2