Australia ‘stands ready’ to rejoin search for missing MH370 on 10-year anniversary

Australia has offered to support the Malaysian government in a possible fresh search for the wreckage of missing flight MH370, on the 10-year anniversary of one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history.

The Malaysian Airlines flight left Kuala Lumpur airport on 8 March 2014 with 277 passengers and 12 crew members on board but never made it to its destination in Beijing. It disappeared from radar just 40 minutes after takeoff and has remained missing ever since.

Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong on Friday said the country’s “sincere sympathies” remained with those who lost their loved ones a decade ago.

Australia coordinated “one of the biggest search operations of its kind in history” at that time of the disappearance but did not find the missing aircraft, Ms Wong said in a joint statement with transport minister Catherine King.

“The Australian government is supportive of all practical efforts to find MH370,” the statement said.

“Australia stands ready to assist the Malaysian government if it considers that Australian agencies are able to offer technical information as a result of their involvement in previous searches.”

There were seven Australians among passengers from 14 nations on the plane the night it went missing. It is believed to have fallen somewhere in the Indian Ocean within Australia’s area of search and rescue operations.

The statement by Ms Wong and Ms King said during the Australia-led search operation, teams covered over 3 million square kilometres above the water and more than 120,000 square kilometres under the water.

They thanked the Australian Defence Force, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, and other departments for their help.

“Ten years on from the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight 370, the Australian government’s sincere sympathies remain with the loved ones of the 239 passengers and crew on board, including seven people who called Australia home,” the statement said.

“Despite coordinated efforts to locate the missing plane over the last decade, those who lost loved ones have not had the answers they seek. We recognise their ongoing heartache and grief,” it added.

Hopes for closure among family members were rekindled after Malaysia’s transport minister Anthony Loke said the government is open to conducting a further search if there is credible evidence.

He said the government was in talks with the US marine robotics company Ocean Infinity after the American company submitted a proposal to the government.

Ocean Infinity had led a search in a 112,000km area in 2018 but said it could have missed the remnants due to extremely challenging terrain such as underwater canyons.

Now the company says it has enhanced its ocean search capabilities with robotics.

“I will do everything possible to get the cabinet’s approval to sign a new contract with Ocean Infinity for the search to resume as soon as possible,” Mr Loke said.