Search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight to resume after over a decade

Dhaka: The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 will resume on December 30, the country’s transport ministry announced on November 3, over a decade after the airplane’s mysterious disappearance over the Indian Ocean.

The Malaysian government said that Texas-based marine robotics company Ocean Infinity is set to begin a 55-day targeted deep-sea search for the missing aircraft in the southern Indian Ocean by the end of December, according to reports.

On March 8, 2014, the Boeing 777 took off from Kuala Lumpur heading toward Beijing, when it disappeared around 90 seconds after leaving Malaysian airspace, vanishing along with all 239 passengers in what has become one of aviation’s greatest unsolved mysteries.

Satellite data revealed the plane deviated from its flight path and went south towards the far-southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed.

According to a statement from Malaysia’s Transport Ministry, Ocean Infinity will hunt in targeted areas believed to have the highest likelihood of finding the missing aircraft.

"The latest development underscores the government of Malaysia’s commitment in providing closure to the families affected by this tragedy," the transport ministry stated.

The announcement comes after Malaysia’s government gave final approval in March for Ocean Infinity to start the search, after agreeing to a "no-find, no fee" contract that rewards the company USD 70 million only if wreckage is discovered within the 5,800-square-mile site.

Earlier, debris was found washed ashore on the east African coast and Indian Ocean islands, but a multinational search failed to discover clues to MH370’s location.

Ocean Infinity also conducted a private search in 2018 that failed to unearth any, but CEO Oliver Plunkett reportedly said earlier this year that his company had since improved its technology.

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