The Malaysia Airlines plane went missing on March 8, after ground control lost contact with the aircraft –which was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing — over the South China Sea. On Monday the Prime Minister said indications are that MH370 “ended in the Indian Ocean.”
Since then many theories as to what happened to the doomed flight that carries 239 souls on board have been discussed and dissected to no end in the media.
This follows sightings of possible debris from MH370 found off of the coast of Australia in the Indian Ocean, a stretch of water that has been labeled “unforgiving” because of its treacherous waters, strong winds, and over two-miles deep seas, which make any rescue effort of the Malaysia Airlines plane extremely challenging.
Australian crews are reporting that they have spotted two objects floating in the area many believe Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 could be located. One is green and circular, the other is orange and rectangular.
This is the first solid lead that Malaysian authorities have had since the plane went missing more than two-weeks ago.
Vessels and planes from several countries participating in the frantic search for the Malaysian airliner which vanished without a trace are on their way to the Indian Ocean to assist in recovery efforts.
Sky News is reporting that some of the families will be taken from Beijing to Australia, which if correct, is a significant development as all eyes turn to the island nation.
According to reports in the UK families of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 passengers received the following message on Monday:
“Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived. As you will hear in the next hour from Malaysia’s Prime Minister, we must now accept all evidence suggests the plane went down in the Southern Indian Ocean.”
The Malaysian Prime Minister said very deliberately:
“Based on this analysis we have concluded that MH370 flew along the south corridor and its last position was in the middle of Indian Ocean west of Perth. Considering this is a remote location far from possible landing sites. It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that according to this new data (Malaysia Airlines Flight) MH370 ended in the waters of the Indian Ocean.”
The Malaysian Premier also urged the media to respect the families’ privacy at this very difficult time.
From this information, some experts are concluding that Flight MH370 ran out of fuel, but questions remain as to the reason for the change in course the Malaysia Airlines plane took. The recovery of the black boxes would shed light on what happened in that cockpit.
A news conference was scheduled for Tuesday to provide further information as the search efforts for Malaysia Airlines MH370 continue in the Indian Ocean.
BREAKING: “I must inform you that according to this new data MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean” – Malaysian PM pic.twitter.com/4P0M98t60y
— NBC Nightly News (@nbcnightlynews) March 24, 2014
In the last few weeks, since Malaysia Airlines MH370 went missing , government authorities in charge of the search have been heavily criticized for their handling of this crisis, which is making some dubious of this new intelligence.
[Image via Bing]