KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 – In conjunction with the first anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Sunday that Malaysians have stood united in remembering and honouring the victims of the tragedy.
Prime Minister reiterated that Malaysia remained committed to the ongoing search for the missing aircraft and hoped that MH370 will be found. Admitting that the disappearance was unprecedented, Najib noted that the search operation, by far was the most complex and technically challenging in aviation history.
“Today, we stand united in remembering and honouring the 239 people, including 50 Malaysians who were onboard MH370. Our prayers are with them and their loved ones left behind – whose sorrow we share,” he said in a statement in Kuala Lumpur. The prime minister added: “No words can describe the pain the families of those onboard are going through. The lack of answers and definitive proof – such as aircraft wreckage – has made this more difficult to bear.
“Together with our international partners, we have followed the little evidence that exists,” he said. On March 8 last year, MAS Flight MH370 which was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished from radar screens while flying over the South China Sea less than an hour after departing from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 12.41am.
The Boeing 777-200ER jetliner was scheduled to arrive in Beijing at 6.30am on the same day. To date, the search operation at in the southern Indian Ocean – where the plane was believed to have disappeared – has covered about 40 per cent of the 60,000sq km search area and about 208,000sq km of the ocean has been mapped.
Najib said Malaysia brought together a huge international team to find the plane, and “we will never forget the dedication of those who have helped.” He expressed his gratitude to each personnel involved in the search mission for MH370. “To the men and women who continue to work tirelessly to find MH370’s final resting place, thank you,” he said.
