It’s the mystery that has surrounded the world for the past few weeks. On March 8, during a flight from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing, Malaysia Airlines flight 370 vanished. Two hundred thirty-nine people, mainly from China and Malaysia, but representing several countries around the world, were on board at the time.
Initial search efforts, focused over the South China Sea, were unsuccessful and expanded to include vast, desolate areas of the Indian Ocean, off of Australia’s southwestern coast. Over three weeks later, after numerous false leads and setbacks, there is still no definitive proof surrounding the plane’s whereabouts.
Air controllers lost contact with flight 370 approximately one hour after takeoff, leading many to believe it crashed over the Gulf of Thailand or South China Sea. Oil slicks spotted off the Vietnam coast towards the beginning of the search seemed to verify this idea; however, it was determined that these did not originate from a plane. Chinese satellites also detected pieces of debris in the search area, but nobody was able to physically locate them. Adding to the mystery, two men listed as passengers on the plane did not board the flight. Their passports were stolen, and two different people boarded the plane using the stolen passports, prompting questions of whether this was a terrorist attack.
Nearly a week after the plane’s disappearance, new information regarding signals sent out from the plane changed the possible search area for the flight; these signals indicated that the plane had made a sharp left turn and had moved towards the Indian Ocean. Search efforts transferred from a relatively small area in the South China Sea to an extensive region in the remote corners of the Indian Ocean. Adding to the challenge is the fact that these areas of the Indian Ocean are much deeper than the region of the South China Sea, making recovery efforts more difficult.
The abrupt change in the plane’s course led to suspicions that this was a forced action, raising questions of a terrorist plot. Over a week after the disappearance of flight 370, Malaysian officials searched the homes of the pilots. The number of nations actively involved in the search for the missing airplane continued to increase as the FBI became actively involved on March 19. On March 20, possible pieces of debris were located via satellite off of Australia’s southwestern coast, but ships were unable to locate the debris. Chinese and French satellites detected additional objects, but people have not physically observed any of them.
For several weeks, the exact fate of the plane remained uncertain. Initial theories focused on the idea of a plane crash or a hijacking, and as time went on, the list grew more extensive to include even the far-fetched reference of alien intervention. On March 24, the Malaysian Prime Minister announced that the plane had crashed somewhere in the Indian Ocean and that everyone on board had perished. In the days following the announcement, satellites pointed out hundreds of small objects in the Indian Ocean, but again, these objects proved elusive.
Until search teams uncover concrete evidence, people around the world continue to wonder about the flight. Emily Farrar, a senior at Ridge, states, “It’s kind of unsettling. It’s just very weird to think that in this modern era people can go missing like that. It just makes me really uneasy.”
Echoing these sentiments, Aditya Sheth, ’16, adds, “My parents have been watching the news a lot and are shocked about the logistics of how an entire flight could disappear.”
Regarding the disappearance of the flight, English teacher Mrs. Illian says, “I think it took me back to other disasters we’ve had when humans, despite all our technology, were essentially helpless.”
The family members of those aboard Flight 370 continue to wait for any news surrounding the plane as the international search effort continues. Countries around the world are working together to solve the mystery surrounding the flight’s disappearance. Until more concrete details are unearthed, the tragic Malaysian flight remains an ever-present thought in the minds of people across the globe.
For a comprehensive timeline of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, see this link: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-timeline-3297914