MH370 an 'accident'
January 29, 2015
Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) officially declared flight MH370 an accident on Thursday. The announcement is in accordance with international aviation rules that allow families of the passengers to obtain compensation.
The Boeing 777 aircraft disappeared on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 passengers and crew. It vanished shortly after takeoff en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.
No trace has as yet been found of the plane, despite major international searches.
DCA chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said it was presumed those on board had died.
"We officially declare Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 an accident ... and that all 239 of the passengers and crew on board are presumed to have lost their lives," Azharuddin said.
Search continues
Investigators used transmissions between the Boeing 777 and satellites to determine the most likely crash site, which lies some 1,800 kilometers (1,118 miles) southwest of the Australian city of Perth.
Experts mapped the stretch of Indian Ocean floor last year to more optimally target search efforts. Underwater vessels with mounted sonar devices were then deployed to scan the rugged ocean floor.
Aviation expert Chris Yates told DW last year there was a strong possibility the pilot or pilots purposely crashed the plane.
The crisis at Malaysia Airlines worsened later in 2014 with the shooting down of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. The plane was flying from Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam.
In late December, AirAsia flight QZ8501 crashed during bad weather into the Java Sea. 162 people were on board the flight.
jr/jlw (Reuters, AP)