MH370 met with accident, Malaysia declares officially

Kuala Lumpur, Jan 29: The Malaysian government has officially declared that Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 met with an accident March 8 last year, and all 239 people on board the plane are presumed dead. The announcement was made by Director General of Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation Azharuddin Abdul Rahman Thursday. Neither the wreckage of the aircraft nor the bodies of those on board have been found yet. "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... and that all 239 of the passengers and crew on board MH370 are presumed to have lost their lives," Xinhua news agency quoted Azharuddin as saying in a statement. After 327 days -- as of Jan 28, 2015 -- and based on all available data as well as circumstances mentioned earlier, survivability in the defined area where the plane was located was highly unlikely, the statement said.