The MH370 latest search ended January without any findings that confirm the location of the aircraft wreckage, Malaysia’s transport ministry said on Sunday, as families marked 12 years since the flight disappeared.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, a Boeing 777 carrying 239 people, vanished from radar on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Despite multiple searches over the years, the aircraft and its black boxes have not been found.
MH370 Latest Search Ended January: What Malaysia Reported
The latest search began in December and covered roughly 15,000 square kilometres, but it “has not yielded any findings” confirming the wreckage location, the ministry said.
Exploration firm Ocean Infinity, based in Britain and the United States, led the mission and concluded it on January 23, according to the statement. The firm deployed autonomous underwater drones capable of diving to depths of up to 6,000 metres.
On Sunday, families of Chinese passengers published an open letter to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, criticising the lack of briefings during the latest effort.
They said that since January 15, families had received no further search briefings and claimed that repeated attempts to contact Malaysia’s transport ministry, through Malaysia Airlines and the Chinese government, had gone unanswered.
The families also said they have received “virtually no genuine psychological support” over the past 12 years and asked to be treated with dignity and empathy.
The families are expected to meet China’s foreign ministry on Monday before visiting the Malaysian embassy in Beijing to deliver the letter.
