The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is set to resume on December 30, over a decade after the plane disappeared with 239 people on board. A new search by ocean robotics company Ocean Infinity had begun earlier this year but was halted in April due to bad weather. Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport announced that the seabed search will take place intermittently over 55 days starting in December.
Ocean Infinity has a “no discovery, no fee” agreement with Malaysia, allowing them to search an additional 5,800 square miles of ocean for $70 million only if the wreckage is located. Flight MH370 vanished on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, triggering the largest underwater search operation in history, which concluded in January 2017.
Some debris confirmed to be from the plane has washed ashore in Africa and the Indian Ocean, aiding drift pattern analysis. While details of the new search area remain undisclosed, it is reportedly the region with the highest probability of locating the aircraft.
An investigation in 2018 concluded the plane manually turned, suggesting possible “unlawful interference,” but ruled out pilot suicide or mechanical failure. Family members of the passengers and crew have expressed hope that the new search efforts will provide closure.
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