Malaysia to resume search for missing MH370 plane

Malaysia will launch a new search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared 10 years ago, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced on Friday.

Government ministers "agreed in principle to accept the proposal from Ocean Infinity" to search a new area of 15,000 square kilometers in the southern Indian Ocean.

"The proposal for a search operation by (US-based exploration company) Ocean Infinity is a solid one and deserves to be considered," Loke told reporters.

The company will receive $70 million (€67.5 million) if wreckage found is substantive, Loke said.

No results from two previous searches

Ocean Infinity conducted the last search for the plane, which ended in 2018. 

This followed an underwater search by Malaysia, Australia and China in a 120,000 square kilometer area of the southern Indian Ocean. However, the searches have yielded no significant results.

"Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin," Loke said.

"We hope this time will be positive, that the wreckage will be found and give closure to the families," the minister added.

More than 150 Chinese passengers were on the flight. Their families are seeking compensation from Malaysia Airlines, Boeing, aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce and insurance group Allianz, among others.

What do we know about the MH370 catastrophe?

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, a Boeing 777 with 239 people on board, went missing on March 8, 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The plane's last transmission was about 40 minutes after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing. Shortly after that, its transponder was turned off, making it difficult to track.

Analysis of satellite data indicated that the plane likely crashed somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean, off the coast of Western Australia.

Debris, some confirmed and some believed to be from the plane, has washed up along the coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean.

dh/lo (AFP, Reuters)