Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370: Malaysia Spent $8.6 Million Spent On Search & Rescue Efforts So Far

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been missing since March 8. Search and rescue efforts have been ongoing for three months without any signs of the plane — or the 239 passengers that were on board. According to Time, Malaysia has spent $8.6 million on the search for the plane so far. Without any positive leads, that number is expected to rise significantly — and, keep in mind, that number only applies to the amount of money that Malaysia has spent on the search. Several other countries have also spent millions of dollars, but those figures were not included in Time’s report.

“The search for the missing plane… has long since become the most expensive and longest in modern commercial aviation history. And costs are expected to rise after Australian officials said last month that the missing aircraft was not in the area of the Indian Ocean where they had been searching based on ping sounds thought to be from the plane’s black box.”

Missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 could be anywhere at this point. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, officials recently revealed that the plane was not located in the southern Indian Ocean where supposed “pings” were once heard. Many people are now convinced that the plane isn’t in the ocean at all, and that, perhaps, it landed safely somewhere only to be used again in the future. These conspiracy theories are only given more steam each time a new search area or a new clue turns up empty.

According to The Wall Street Journal, those working on the case have recently “revised” assumptions and will be traveling to Australia to “map out” the next phase in the search for the missing Boeing 777:

“The latest rethinking on the search area, people familiar with the matter said, reflects inescapable uncertainties about the speed, flight path and altitude of the [aircraft].”

The site also reports that Australia has set aside $55.5 million in their search and rescue efforts specifically for flight 370. It has been said that it could take years to find the plane. Investigators have been plugging in numbers and figures, but coming up empty — and this could go on for a very long time. If the plane is in the ocean, chances are it’s not staying in one place. That means that finding the exact location of where the plane went into the ocean might not even help in locating the wreckage.

And while everyone seems to be focusing on the ocean, there is still a possibility that the plane landed somewhere else. What do you think happened to Malaysia Airlines flight MH370?

[Photo courtesy of Getty Images via The Wall Street Journal]