New evidence emerges in missing Malaysian Boeing case

Exactly 9 years have passed on March 8 since the Malaysian Airlines airliner mysteriously disappeared on the way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The families of the victims of the fateful flight MH370 are pushing for a second search operation as a tech firm says it has new evidence shedding light on the Boeing’s mysterious disappearance.

Families of those killed on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 are calling on the Malaysian government to give the green light to a new search for the plane, which disappeared nine years ago.

As The Guardian recalls, the disappearance of the plane, which was carrying 12 Malaysian crew members and 227 passengers from 14 different countries (including Russia), has become the biggest mystery in aviation after the liner disappeared over the South China Sea during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

After a three-year search coordinated by Malaysia, China and Australia ended in January 2017, no conclusions have been drawn about what happened to the missing flight MH370. Which led to the emergence of a variety of – including conspiracy – theories about what happened to the Boeing. According to one version, the plane was allegedly deliberately destroyed by its pilot.

US marine robotics company Ocean Infinity conducted an unsuccessful second search for the plane in the Indian Ocean in 2018, but says it now has new evidence that could lead to the plane being found.

Voice370, a group of relatives of the people on board, is calling on the Malaysian authorities to support another search for Ocean Infinity.

“While the next of kin of passengers and crew members on board are trying to rebuild our lives, the threat to global aviation security remains a pressing concern,” the group said in a statement. “As long as we remain in the dark about what happened to MH370, we will never be able to prevent a similar tragedy. Accordingly, we believe it is of paramount importance that the search for MH370 be brought to completion.”

Ocean Infinity chief executive Oliver Plunkett told Guardian Australia that the company is “actively involved” in trying to restart the search.

“At this stage, we cannot definitively say when a new search will be conducted, as discussions are ongoing and there is still a lot of work to be done,” Plunkett said in a statement. “We hope that our experienced team and marine robotics will be briefed later this year or in 2024.”

At the annual MH370 memorial event held this week on Zoom, Oliver Plunkett told family members that he would be reaching out to the Malaysian government “in the coming weeks” with new evidence, though he did not elaborate on what the company had found.

The Malaysian government has repeatedly said it will not support re-searching unless new compelling evidence is presented.

“Over the past 12 months, we have made real progress, working with many people to increase our knowledge of the events of 2014 and ultimately improve our chances of a successful search,” Plunkett said.

He said the company is proposing to search on a “no find, no fee” basis.

“We will work hard and try our best to make this happen, with the support of the Malaysian government,” he said. “I fully believe this is a realistic goal.”

Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Locke confirmed the government’s position. “Since 2014, Malaysia and international partners have searched millions of square kilometers through air, ship and underwater operations. As Minister of Transport, I will not immediately close the book on this tragedy, Locke said. “I reiterate the government’s position that search operations will be given due attention if new and credible information emerges about the plane’s final resting place.”

The mystery continues to weigh heavily on family members, writes The Guardian. Indian K.S. Narendran, a Chennai consultant whose wife flew MH370, says now is the time to “remind yourself of the unfinished business, which is to find out what really happened.”

“Our dearest ones are missing. They are no longer with us,” he said at a memorial event. “However, after all that has been done and said, we do not know what happened. We are in the same place as March 8, 2014. For all of us, finding answers remains a critical issue.”

Since MH370 went missing, more than 20 pieces of wreckage believed to be from the aircraft have washed up on the coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean, recalls The Guardian.