Malaysia said the most recent search for flight MH370 concluded in January without finding the aircraft or confirming wreckage. The December operation, led by Ocean Infinity, scanned about 15,000 square kilometres using deep-diving autonomous underwater drones. Families of Chinese passengers criticised authorities for a lack of briefings and psychological support and plan to deliver an open letter to Malaysian and Chinese officials. Despite multiple large-scale searches since 2014, the plane and its black boxes remain missing.
Latest MH370 Search Ends in January Without New Leads After 12 Years
The disappearance of flight MH370 12 years ago is one of aviation's greatest enduring mysteries, with the latest search yielding no fresh clues (-)(-/CN-STR/AFP)
Malaysia's transport ministry said on Sunday that the most recent search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 — which disappeared 12 years ago in one of aviation's most enduring mysteries — concluded in January without yielding any confirmed findings.
Search Effort and Findings
The Boeing 777, carrying 239 people, vanished from radar on 8 March 2014 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The December search covered roughly 15,000 square kilometres, but the ministry said the operation "have not yielded any findings that confirm the location of the aircraft wreckage." The search, led by exploration firm Ocean Infinity, ended on 23 January.
Ocean Infinity deployed autonomous underwater drones capable of diving to depths of up to 6,000 metres (20,000 feet) in an effort to locate wreckage and the aircraft's flight recorders. The company previously carried out an unsuccessful search in 2018; Australian authorities also conducted an extensive three-year search that concluded in January 2017 without resolving the plane's fate.
Families' Response
On the 12th anniversary of the disappearance, relatives of Chinese passengers published a joint open letter criticising the authorities for a lack of information and support during the most recent search. While the families thanked Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for initiating the search, they said they had received no briefings since 15 January and described an absence of meaningful psychological assistance over the past 12 years.
"We ask for little: only to be seen, to be heard, and to be treated as individuals with emotions and dignity," the families wrote.
The families are expected to meet officials at China's foreign ministry and to visit the Malaysian embassy in Beijing to deliver their letter to the Malaysian prime minister.
Ongoing Mystery
Despite repeated searches — including the largest maritime and underwater operations in aviation history — neither the aircraft's main wreckage nor its black boxes have been recovered. The disappearance of MH370 remains an open investigation and a source of profound grief for the families involved.
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