Ten years after Malaysia Airlines flight 370 vanished without a trace, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has expressed willingness to reopen the search for the missing aircraft if new and compelling evidence surfaces. The statement has reignited hope among families of the 239 passengers and crew members who disappeared with the Boeing 777 aircraft on March 8, 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
During a visit to Melbourne, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated, “If there is compelling evidence that it needs to be reopened, we will certainly be happy to reopen it.” His remarks came as families gathered to mark the solemn anniversary, still grappling with the emotional toll of the tragedy.
The disappearance of MH370 remains one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history, prompting an extensive multinational search effort that yielded little results. Despite being the largest search operation ever conducted, covering vast stretches of the Indian Ocean, the plane has never been found. The search was eventually suspended in January 2017.
The recent comments from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim offer a glimmer of hope for closure for the grieving families. Grace Nathan, whose mother was aboard MH370, expressed the emotional turmoil endured over the past decade. “The last 10 years have been a nonstop emotional rollercoaster for me,” she shared with AFP during a remembrance day gathering near Kuala Lumpur, attended by approximately 500 relatives and supporters.
Many of the attendees, visibly overwhelmed with grief, reiterated their plea for the Malaysian government to initiate a new search effort. Transport Minister Anthony Loke assured the families of the government’s commitment, stating, “As far as Malaysia is concerned, it is committed to finding the plane… cost is not the issue.”
Loke further disclosed plans to meet with officials from Ocean Infinity, a Texas-based marine exploration firm that conducted a previous search operation, albeit unsuccessfully. “We are now awaiting for them to provide suitable dates and I hope to meet them soon,” Loke affirmed.
Previous search efforts, including an Australia-led operation covering 120,000 square kilometers (46,000 square miles) of the Indian Ocean, yielded minimal results, with only a few pieces of debris recovered. Despite the challenges, families of MH370 passengers remain determined to uncover the truth behind the plane’s disappearance, clinging to the possibility of a renewed search bringing closure to their decade-long ordeal.
Sources By Agencies
