The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is no accident, the victims' relatives are insisting, and they are furious with the Malaysian government for claiming so.
"We officially declare Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 an accident and that all 239 of the passengers and crew onboard MH370 are presumed to have lost their lives," Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said in a statement.
For his part, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said that he hopes Malaysia fully investigates the incident and makes peace with the families.
The victims' families are not ready to accept Malaysia's version of events.
"Malaysia has made this announcement without any evidence," Jiang Hui, whose mother was onboard the flight told ABC. "It is cold, cruel, irresponsible and illegal. It takes away our only pillar of support."
"They are trying to wash their hands off it. There is no evidence it was an accident, but that is the most convenient excuse for them. Just a few months ago, they were claiming the plane was potentially hijacked," Sarah Bajc, whose partner Philip Woods was onboard the flight, told DW.
Bajc added that there is enough evidence that would prove a lack of proper response from Malaysia Airlines, air traffic control, and the Malaysian military.
"My life partner is missing. That leaves a huge hole in my daily life and in my future. Beyond that terrible, ambiguous loss, I am permanently scarred by the cruel handling of the case by the authorities," she said.
The said Malaysia Airlines plane has been missing since March 8, after it left from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people onboard. It is believed that the plane crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, but international search efforts were unable to provide any clues as to what happened to the plane.
