Search for missing MH370 flight could be scaled back: Aussie PM
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has hinted that the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cannot continue at its current intensity.
"I do reassure the families of our hope and expectation that the ongoing search will succeed," Abbott told parliament in the capital, Canberra, on Thursday.
He added, "I can't promise that the search will go on at this intensity forever but we will continue our very best efforts to resolve this mystery and provide some answers."
"The message of this parliament to all of the families of MH370 is that you remain in our thoughts and prayers," the Australian prime minister said.
"To you – and to all those with loved ones aboard that flight – my pledge is that we are taking every reasonable step to bring your uncertainty to an end," Abbott pointed out.
Abbott also expressed gratitude to the countries involved in the missing flight MH370 search, which he termed as the "biggest search operation of its kind in history."
He said the plane's disappearance "demonstrated a fundamental gap in tracking long-haul flights, particularly over the oceans."
"We must ensure that no families will ever again have to endure the suffering of the families of the MH370 passengers," the Australian leader said.
The Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China, on March 8, 2014 with 239 people on board.
Australia, with four ships using sophisticated sonar systems, is leading the hunt for the plane in the Indian Ocean. More than 26,000 square kilometers of the ocean floor has been scoured to date, but no trace has been found
The search is due to finish in May, given that weather conditions in the remote region are expected to worsen afterwards.
On January 29, Malaysia declared that all on board were presumed dead and that families should seek compensation. The victims’ relatives argue that the Kuala Lumpur government and Malaysia Airlines plan to close the case without any resolution.
MP/NN/HMV
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