NEW SEARCH FOR MH370 IN INDIAN OCEAN YIELDS NO CLUES - MOT

PUTRAJAYA, March 8 (Bernama) -- The search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in a new area of the southern Indian Ocean has not yielded any clues on the aircraft’s location.

The Ministry of Transport's (MOT) Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) announced that the Malaysian government formalised an agreement with Ocean Infinity on March 25 last year to undertake a search operation covering a new 15,000 sq km area in the southern Indian Ocean.

In a statement today, AAIB said the operations were conducted under a "no find, no fee" principle in two phases: March 25 to 28, 2025 (Phase 1) and Dec 31, 2025 to Jan 23, 2026 (Phase 2).

“In total, 28 operational search days were undertaken across both phases following the signing of the agreement, resulting in the survey of approximately 7,571 square kilometres of seabed within the defined search area.

“Ocean Infinity has indicated that additional survey activities were undertaken within the broader search area before the formal signing of the agreement in March 2025, to support the search operation,” the statement read.

The AAIB noted that operations were periodically disrupted by adverse weather and sea conditions, with Phase 2 concluded on Jan 23, 2026.

“As of this update, the search activities undertaken have not yielded any findings that confirm the location of the aircraft wreckage,” the statement read.

The bureau said the government remains committed to keeping the families informed and will continue to provide updates as appropriate.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished from radar on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China, with 239 passengers and crew on board.

Despite one of the most extensive search operations in aviation history, jointly led by Malaysia, Australia, and China, the aircraft was not located within the primary search zone in the southern Indian Ocean.

Over the years, several pieces of aircraft debris, confirmed or believed to be from MH370, were discovered along coastlines in the western Indian Ocean, including in Mozambique, Madagascar, and Réunion Island.

-- BERNAMA