Families of MH370 Victims Call for Search Extension After 12 Years
Families of those aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have issued a heartfelt plea to the Malaysian government, urging an extension of the contract with deep-sea exploration firm Ocean Infinity. This call comes 12 years after the aircraft disappeared, leaving behind one of the world's most perplexing aviation mysteries.
The Enduring Search for Answers
The Boeing 777, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished on 8 March 2014 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Since then, multiple search operations in the southern Indian Ocean have been conducted, but all have proven fruitless. In March last year, Malaysia agreed to allow Ocean Infinity to resume the hunt under a "no find, no fee" principle, with the firm to be paid $70 million only if wreckage was successfully located.
However, Malaysia's Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) reported on Sunday that operations have not yielded any findings so far. Two search phases covered approximately 7,571 square kilometers of seabed over 28 days, but were periodically disrupted by adverse weather and sea conditions, with the second phase ending on 23 January.
Challenges and Urgent Appeals
Voice370, a group representing the families, highlighted that it is unlikely for Ocean Infinity to resume the search before its contract expires in June, due to the approaching winter months in the southern hemisphere and deteriorating sea conditions. The group urged the government to grant any request from Ocean Infinity to extend its agreement and to expand the same terms to other interested exploration firms.
A simple addendum extending the contract period without altering the core terms of the agreement would allow the search to continue without delay, Voice370 stated. This move aims to maintain momentum in the quest for closure, as Ocean Infinity has conducted prior searches but failed to find substantive wreckage.
The Lingering Mystery
Malaysian investigators in a 2018 report drew no definitive conclusions about what happened aboard the flight, but did not rule out the possibility that the aircraft was deliberately taken off course. As the 12-year anniversary passes, the families' determination for answers remains unwavering, with hopes pinned on extended search efforts to finally unravel this enduring enigma.
