Suspension of MH370 search looms as hopes 'fade': Ministers

July 23, 2016 | 11:00

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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, China and Australia on Friday (Jul 22) said that the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 would be suspended after the current search area has been scoured. At a meeting in Putrajaya, the transport ministers from the three countries also acknowledged that it was unlikely that the Boeing 777 would be found, despite the best efforts of the parties involved.

Three ships have been scouring the southern Indian Ocean for the remains of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. (Photo: AFP/Fugro)

The ministers however agreed to complete the current search of 120,000 square kilometres in the southern Indian Ocean off Western Australia, which Malaysia's Liow Tiong Lai said may only be wrapped up in October or November.

"Poor weather conditions due to the winter season and damaged equipment have severely impacted search progress, said Mr Liow at a press conference after what he described as an "in-depth discussion" with his counterparts.

There, Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester gave the assurance that the authorities were "considering all the elements", including new debris found.

According to Mr Liow, there are still eight new pieces of debris yet to be tested.

Ministers speaking at a press conference after the tripartite meeting. (Photo source: Sumisha Naidu)

Analysis of previous debris has not provided information that "positively identified the precise location of the aircraft", the ministers, including China's Yang Chuantang, said in a joint statement issued after the meeting.

They added that "despite the best efforts of all involved, the likelihood of finding the aircraft is fading".

Yet Mr Liow said that this "does not mean we have given up on the search", adding that the authorities are confident they are searching in the right area.

His comments came a day after top searchers at Fugro, the company leading the underwater hunt raised the prospect that they had been scouring the wrong part of the ocean for two years.

At Friday's news conference, Mr Liow said: "Locations where debris has been found so far are consistent with drift modelling patterns."

Channel NewsAsia understands that the families of those on board the missing flight had been informed of the decision. They were sent the following note:

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