Last position in middle of Indian Ocean
Print Edition
THE missing Malaysia Airlines plane crashed into a remote corner of the Indian Ocean, the nation’s prime minister said last night, citing a new analysis of satellite data. The statement was the first major step toward resolving a two-week-old mystery that has consumed the world.
But with the location of flight MH370 itself still unknown — most likely somewhere at the bottom of the sea — profound questions remain about what brought down the aircraft and why.
Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the news in a brief statement to reporters.
He said the new analysis indicated the Boeing 777, which took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing on March 8 with 239 passengers and crew, flew “to a remote location, far from any possible landing sites.”
“It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.”
Search teams from 26 nations have pored over radar data and scoured a wide swath of Asia for more than two weeks with advanced aircraft and ships in a deeply frustrating attempt to find the plane.
Malaysia Airlines said in a statement to the families that “our prayers go out to all the loved ones of the 226 passengers and of our 13 friends and colleagues at this enormously painful time.”
“We know there are no words that we or anyone else can say which can ease your pain,” the airline said.
“The ongoing multinational search operation will continue, as we seek answers to the questions which remain.”
A Malaysia Airlines official said there were no plans to fly the families to the Australian city of Perth until wreckage of the missing plane is found.
The plane’s disappearance shortly after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur on a routine flight to Beijing has baffled investigators, who have yet to rule out mechanical or electrical failure, hijacking, sabotage, terrorism or issues related to the pilots or someone else on board.
Officials have said that the plane sent a brief signal — a “ping” — every hour to a satellite belonging to Inmarsat, a British company, even after other communication systems on the jetliner shut down.
The pings did not include any location information, but an initial analysis showed the location of the last ping was probably along one of two vast arcs running north and south.
Najib said Inmarsat had done further calculations “using a type of analysis never before used in an investigation of this sort,” and had concluded that the plane’s last position was “in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth.”
Yesterday, ships rushed to the location of floating objects spotted by Australian and Chinese planes in the southern Indian Ocean close to where multiple satellites have detected possible remains of the lost airliner.
One ship was carrying equipment to detect the plane’s black box, but it remained uncertain whether the vessels were approaching a successful end to the search.
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