Malaysia Announces Plans to Resume Search for Missing MH370 Plane Which Vanished 10 Years Ago

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370) on March 8, 2014 vanished from radar screens, marking the beginning of one of aviation's most perplexing mysteries.

The Boeing 777 aircraft, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members, was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it disappeared less than an hour after takeoff. Despite extensive search efforts spanning years and covering vast areas of the Indian Ocean, the fate of MH370 has remained elusive, leaving families and investigators without closure.

In a major development, Malaysia has agreed in principle to resume the search for the missing plane, ten years after its disappearance. This decision reflects the government's commitment to providing closure for the families of those on board and is driven by new credible data suggesting potential locations for the wreckage.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed that Malaysia is in advanced talks with Ocean Infinity, a US-based marine exploration company, which has submitted a plan to resume the search in a 15,000 square kilometer zone off the coast of Western Australia.

The search is expected to commence all paperworks has been signed, with Ocean Infinity utilizing its advanced underwater robotic vehicles to scour the depths of the Southern Indian Ocean. The company had previously participated in searches that ended in 2018, and it remains hopeful that this renewed effort will yield positive results.

If successful in locating a substantive amount of wreckage, Ocean Infinity stands to receive $70 million as part of a "no find, no fee" agreement with the Malaysian government.

The disappearance of MH370 has been shrouded in mystery, with numerous theories attempting to explain the aircraft's fate. One prevailing theory suggests that the plane could be resting in a deep trench approximately 6,000 meters below the surface at the eastern end of the Broken Ridge in the Southern Indian Ocean.

Another theory posits that the aircraft may have undergone a controlled ditching, where the captain could have guided the plane to a soft landing on the water. However, there is also speculation about more sinister scenarios, including intentional cover-ups and deliberate crashes, potentially as part of a murder-suicide plot.

Despite these theories, no conclusive proof has emerged to determine the real cause of the disappearance. Initial searches focused on the South China Sea, but after it was determined that the flight had turned west shortly after its transponder was switched off, efforts shifted to the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea. The search area was later expanded to include the Indian Ocean southwest of Australia, based on satellite data analysis.

The search for MH370 has been fraught with challenges, primarily due to the vastness and remoteness of the oceanic search areas. In April 2014, acoustic pings possibly from the aircraft's flight recorder were detected, but subsequent searches using robotic submarines failed to locate any debris.

The first piece of confirmed debris, a right wing flaperon, was not discovered until July 29, 2015, on the French island of Réunion. Over the following months, additional pieces of debris washed up on the shores of Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar, and Mauritius, though only a few were positively identified as belonging to MH370.

The renewed search effort is fueled by the hope of finally solving this enduring mystery and bringing closure to the families who have waited a decade for answers. As Malaysia, Australia, and China had previously called off their joint search efforts in January 2017, the involvement of Ocean Infinity represents a fresh opportunity to uncover the truth behind one of aviation's greatest enigmas.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke emphasized the importance of this mission, stating, "Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin." The Malaysian government has assessed new data from multiple experts, and Ocean Infinity is confident about the chances of locating the wreckage. "The data has all been presented. Our team has gone through and they felt that it is credible," Loke said.