Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is now declared an accident and search operations for survivors are now over. The announcement was made on Jan. 29 by the director general of Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman.
In a public statement, Rahman 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. All 239 of the passengers and crew on board MH370 are presumed to have lost their lives."
Rahman continued to say that it is "a frustrating time for all who have tried their best in the search for MH370." All authorities were committed and dedicated to "continue the efforts" to find the missing airline.
It took around 330 days of searching, with three countries scouring the highs and the lows of the Southern Indian Ocean, to try to find any signs of life and wreckage. Malaysia, China and Australia were adamant and tirelessly launched one search mission after another, but to no avail. Even the U.S. gave a helping hand to increase the chances of finding the 239 passengers and crew. However, the missions have failed.
"The governments of Malaysia, China and Australia have spared no expense and resources in the search for MH370. This has been done with the paramount aim to find the aircraft and to seek answers. It has been done in the hope of bringing some solace to the families of the passengers and crew on board MH370," Rahman added.
While this is a difficult time for the victim's families to hear and accept, Rahman said that making the public announcement will allow the families to claim the compensation already.
NBC News reports that from the time Flight MH370 had gone missing, there were 65 aircrafts, 95 ships and 13 countries involved in the search. So far, the search efforts had covered 80,000 square miles.
The search operations to find survivors is called off, but the search for the missing plane and wreckage will continue on. Authorities are now using underwater drones to find the wreckage, which is believed to be at the bottom of the sea floor by now.
