Search for MH370 to restart based on 'credible' proposal: Malaysia

Malaysia is set to restart the search for the ill-fated Flight MH370, more than a decade after the airliner disappeared, citing a "credible" proposal that suggests a new search area in the southern Indian Ocean.

- Lu Wei Hoong

The Boeing 777, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members, vanished on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Malaysia, China and Australia ended their joint search for the plane in January 2017, after no significant findings.

A subsequent search by US-based private marine exploration company Ocean Infinity concluded without success in June 2018.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed on Nov 5 that Kuala Lumpur is in negotiations with Ocean Infinity regarding a proposal the company made in June 2024 to resume the undersea search for wreckage of the plane in a 15,000 sq km area off the coast of Western Australia.

The proposal is based on a "no find, no fee" principle, meaning the government will not pay if no wreckage is found.