At a Glance
- MH370 vanished on March 8 2014, 39 minutes after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.
- 239 people were on board, and the last radio call was “Good night, Malaysian Three Seven Zero.”
- A new search by Ocean Infinity has begun in a 15,000-sq-km area of the southern Indian Ocean.
- Why it matters: The search could finally locate the missing aircraft and give closure to families.
The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 remains the most perplexing aviation mystery of the past decade. On March 8, 2014, the Boeing 777 vanished from radar after a brief flight to Beijing, leaving 239 passengers and crew unaccounted for. A fresh search effort has been launched, offering a glimmer of hope that the wreckage may yet be found.
The Flight and Disappearance
The aircraft disappeared 39 minutes after departure, with the last transmission to Kuala Lumpur sounding “Good night, Malaysian Three Seven Zero.” Military radar later showed the jet turning back over the Andaman Sea, while satellite data suggested it continued flying for hours before likely running out of fuel in the southern Indian Ocean. No distress call, ransom demand, or evidence of technical failure was recorded.
Passenger Profile
The flight carried 12 crew members and 227 passengers, including five young children. Most passengers were Chinese, but the list also included citizens of the United States, Indonesia, France, Russia, and others. Notable passengers were:
- Two young Iranians traveling on stolen passports
- A group of Chinese calligraphy artists
- 20 employees of U.S. tech firm Freescale Semiconductor
- A stunt double for actor Jet Li
- Several families with young children
Search Efforts
Initial searches focused on the South China Sea, then the Andaman Sea, and finally the southern Indian Ocean. Australia, Malaysia, and China coordinated the largest underwater search ever, covering roughly 120,000 sq km of seabed off western Australia, but no wreckage was found. The first confirmed debris, a flaperon, washed ashore on Réunion Island in July 2015, with additional pieces later found along Africa’s east coast.
Challenges and Renewed Hunt
The vastness of the Indian Ocean, deep waters averaging 4 km, and harsh weather made locating the aircraft extremely difficult. In 2018, Ocean Infinity resumed the search under a “no-find, no-fee” agreement, but the effort ended without success. In March, the Malaysian government approved a new contract with Ocean Infinity to search a 15,000-sq-km site, with the company paid $70 million only if wreckage is discovered; the search will resume intermittently from December 30 for 55 days in the most likely areas.
| Search Phase | Area Covered | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Initial global search | ~120,000 sq km | Suspended Jan 2017 |
| Ocean Infinity 2018 | Targeted debris drift zones | No find |
| New Ocean Infinity contract | 15,000 sq km | Active, intermittent |
The search is being conducted with new technology and expert analysis to narrow the most probable location.
Key Takeaways
- MH370 vanished on March 8 2014, 39 minutes after departure.
- A new search covers 15,000 sq km of the southern Indian Ocean.
- The effort will be paid only if wreckage is found, with a 55-day window starting Dec 30.
The renewed search brings renewed hope that the missing aircraft may finally be located, offering closure to the families still waiting for answers.
