Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Monday that new analysis of satellite data shows that the missing Malaysia Airlines plane crashed into the Indian Ocean.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak, left, and acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein speak during the press conference for missing Malaysia Airlines jet MH370 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, March 24, 2014. (AP/Vincent Thian)
Razak said a U.K. company that had provided satellite data for the search effort performed additional never-before-used calculations that shed more light on the plane’s path and concluded that its last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
“This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites. It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, Flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean,” Razak said.
Prior to Razak’s announcement, family members of those aboard Flight 370 were sent text messages from the airline informing them, ”We deeply regret that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board have survived.”
No confirmed wreckage has been found from Flight 370, which disappeared more than two weeks ago after taking off from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew aboard.
This post has been updated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.