PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) on Thursday (Jan 29) formally declared missing flight MH370 to be an “accident” and that all 239 passengers and crew aboard are presumed dead, a step that opens the door for compensation payments but is likely to hit distraught relatives hard.
In making the announcement, the Malaysian government stressed that the search for the Boeing 777 remains a priority. The government is committed to continuing all reasonable efforts to bring closure to this unfortunate tragedy, with the continuing cooperation and assistance of the governments of China and Australia, said DCA director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman.
Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said data supported the conclusion that MH370 ended its flight in the Southern Indian Ocean.
Appearing in a televised broadcast over the RTM1 television channel, he said: “It is therefore, with the heaviest heart and deepest sorrow that, on behalf of the Government of Malaysia, we officially declare Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 an accident … and that all 239 of the passengers and crew on board MH370 are presumed to have lost their lives.”
“We have endeavoured and pursued every credible lead and reviewed all available data. Despite all these efforts over the last 327 days (as of yesterday), the search unfortunately has yet to yield the location of the missing aircraft.”
DCA earlier on Thursday called off a media briefing as “it was not appropriate to continue” after distraught next-of-kin rushed to the venue.
Prior to the news conference, there had been speculation that the authorities would formally declare the plane as missing. Relatives of those on board said on Wednesday that they would not accept the plane is lost “without hard evidence”.
“We are prepared for any eventuality, including the fact that our loved ones may never come back,” said Voice370 in a statement on Wednesday. The organisation said it represents the next-of-kin of those on board MH370.
“Almost all families are unanimous in our stand that we do not want to declare our loved ones dead without a shred of evidence.”
The Department of Civil Aviation on Mar 7 will release an interim report on the probe into MH370, one day before the first anniversary of the aircraft’s disappearance.
Flight MH370 disappeared from radar screens en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on Mar 8, 2014, with 239 people on board.
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Image: AFP/MOHD RASFAN