Malaysian Minister Meets MH370 Relatives

Malaysia's Minister of Transport, Liow Tiong Lai, on Monday met families of some of the passengers on Malaysia Airlines MH370 which disappeared in 2014.

Liow was in Perth, Western Australia, to welcome the return of the Fugro Equator which took part in the 120,000 sq km underwater search for MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean.

Liow met representatives of the families of passengers on MH370, who asked him to restart the search for the Boeing 777 aircraft.

MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew onboard on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Investigators believe the plane was deliberately flown thousands of miles off course before crashing into the Indian Ocean off Australia.

Liow expressed the Malaysian government’s appreciation to the crew of the Fugro Equator “for their unwavering commitments and efforts in the largest search effort in aviation history.

“The decision to suspend the underwater search has not been taken lightly nor without sadness… We acknowledged that this is a very difficult time for the families,” [and] “reiterate that the aspiration to locate MH370 has not been abandoned,” Liow said in a statement.

The underwater search for MH370 was called off last week by the governments of Australia, China and Malaysia after the 120,000 sq km area had been completed.

The head of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Greg Hood, on Monday said that the area now defined by experts “highly likely” contains the wreckage but it was not a certainty. He said extending the search was a matter for the governments concerned.