"17 days (and counting)…. "

The disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines jet earlier this month gripped attention around the world. Muhammad Hafiz, 19, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, reports on the latest news briefings related to that mystery.   

It’s 17 days and counting since March 8, 2014. The Malaysia-based Malaysia Airlines airplane which was supposed to be travelling to Beijing bearing the flight code “MH370” has recently been declared by Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Najib Razak, to have ended its journey in the southern Indian Ocean.

The news came  at 9:55 pm on March 24, 2014 (Malaysia Time – GMT +8) 

The declaration was made through a statement in front of international media and press with reference to data and analysis of the investigation conducted by Inmarsat, a United Kingdom-based company. Representatives of the United Kingdom Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) mentioned that the type of analysis used for the investigation has never been used until recently for the incident. 

While waiting for another press conference to be held approximately at 10 am on March 25, 2014 (Malaysia Time – GMT +8) with in-depth details regarding the findings of the incident, the airline operator, Malaysia Airlines, has already disseminated information regarding the development of findings of the incident to the next-of-kin of passengers and crews who were negatively affected in the incident. 

There is still no physical finding which can be scientifically related with the incident so far, but the declaration was made based on the flight path of the airplane. More light was shed by Inmarsat, which has confirmed the airplane’s last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth, Australia. 

The airplane was considered missing after it had lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Controller in Malaysia at 1:30 am on March 9, 2014 (Malaysia Time – GMT +8)  during the flight to Beijing. The plane was expected to be arriving at Beijing at 6:30 am on the same day. 

Search and Rescue (SAR) operation was conducted straight away on March 9, 2014 with assistance from 26 countries including the United States, Australia, and Singapore. Searches were done at various locations which were considered relevant to the airplane’s flight path. The latest relevant finding through the SAR operation was disseminated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) on March 19, 2014.

Photo: “One Minute of Silence” – Muhammad Hafiz

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About me:

I am a 19 years-old youth studying for a Diploma in Communication and Media Studies at MARA University of Technology, Malaysia. I donate my free time to affiliated companies including Petrosains as a Volunteer, US-based Mozilla Foundation as the local Malaysian community’s Media and Public Relations Lead, and also Canada-based Hootsuite as the company’s Brand Ambassador. 

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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Articles are published in a spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding. If you disagree, why not submit a response?

To learn more about becoming a Commonwealth Correspondent please visit: http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/submit-articles/commonwealthcorrespondents/

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