Malaysia to Resume Search for Flight MH370 10 Years After It Disappeared: 'Our Responsibility'
The Boeing 777 was carrying 239 people when it vanished in March 2014
The Boeing 777 was carrying 239 people when it vanished in March 2014 Getty Students from an international school in east China city Zhuji pray for the passengers onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 by lighting candles on March 10, 2014 in Zhuji, China. Malaysia Airline flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and carrying 239 onboard was reported missing after the crew failed to check in as scheduled while flying over waters between Malaysia and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/mh370-10-year-anniversary-122024-0ab448ae269b4d059222574685ed3794.jpg "Students from an international school in east China city Zhuji pray for the passengers onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 by lighting candles on March 10, 2014 in Zhuji, China. Malaysia Airline flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and carrying 239 onboard was reported missing after the crew failed to check in as scheduled while flying over waters between Malaysia and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.")
The Malaysian government has agreed in principle to resume the search for flight Malaysia Airlines 370, which disappeared more than 10 years ago.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced on Friday, Dec. 20, that the government agreed to a $70 million deal with Ocean Infinity, a United States-based marine exploration firm to resume the search for MH370, according to CNN and BBC News.
The Boeing 777 was carrying 239 people when it vanished while traveling from Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.
"Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin," Loke said at a press conference, Reuters reported. "We hope this time will be positive, that the wreckage will be found and give closure to the families."
Related: 'He Was Killing Himself': Investigators Say Malaysian Flight 370 Pilot 'Deliberately' Crashed Plane
Ocean Infinity approached the Malaysian government about resuming the search for the missing plane in early 2024, CNN previously reported.
In March, Loke said officials would “do everything possible to solve this mystery once and for all."
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The Malaysian government and Ocean Infinity are still working to finalize their “no find, no fee” deal with Ocean Infinity, meaning the firm will not get paid unless the wreck is found, according to BBC News.
Ocean Infinity reportedly operated under a similar contract while searching for the missing plane in 2018.
CEO Oliver Plunkett previously told ABC News in a statement that finding MH370 “has been a constant in our minds since we left the southern Indian Ocean in 2018.”
Since then, Plunkett added, “We have focused on driving the transformation of operations at sea; innovating with technology and robotics to further advance our ocean search capabilities."
He continued, "This search is arguably the most challenging, and indeed pertinent one out there. We’ve been working with many experts, some outside of Ocean Infinity, to continue analyzing the data in the hope of narrowing the search area down to one in which success becomes potentially achievable."
