MH370 berakhir di Lautan Hindi

Kuala Lumpur: Misteri kehilangan pesawat MH370 sejak 17 hari lalu terungkai apabila Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak sebentar tadi mengesahkan penerbangan pesawat itu berakhir di selatan Lautan Hindi.

Menurut beliau, perkara itu dimaklumkan oleh pihak Biro Siasatan Kemalangan Udara (AAIB) petang tadi yang memaklumkan data satelit INMARSAT melakukan kiraan lanjut dan mengesahkan pesawat itu terbang ke Koridor Selatan.

"Lokasi terakhir pesawat MH370 terbang dikesan di tengah Lautan Hindi di Barat Perth, Australia.

"Ini adalah lokasi terpencil yang jauh daripada mana-mana lokasi pendaratan. Oleh itu, saya dengan dukacitanya memaklumkan penerbangan pesawat itu berakhir di selatan Lautan Hindi," katanya.

Kata Najib, kerajaan akan berkongsi maklumat dengan keluarga penumpang dan sidang media lanjut mengenai perkara berkenaan akan dibuat dalam masa terdekat.

Kenyataan Perdana Menteri dalam Bahasa Inggeris

This evening I was briefed by representatives from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). They informed me that Inmarsat, the UK company that provided the satellite data which indicated the northern and southern corridors, has been performing further calculations on the data. Using a type of analysis never before used in an investigation of this sort, they have been able to shed more light on MH370’s flight path.

Based on their new analysis, Inmarsat and the AAIB have concluded that MH370 flew along the southern corridor, and that its last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth.

This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites. It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

We will be holding a press conference tomorrow with further details. In the meantime, we wanted to inform you of this new development at the earliest opportunity. We share this information out of a commitment to openness and respect for the families, two principles which have guided this investigation.

Malaysia Airlines have already spoken to the families of the passengers and crew to inform them of this development. For them, the past few weeks have been heartbreaking; I know this news must be harder still. I urge the media to respect their privacy, and to allow them the space they need at this difficult time.