New evidence points to final resting place of missing MH370
Findings of ocean study fuels call for reopening of search for lost Malaysia Airlines jet
The head of the failed search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is calling for a fresh inquiry based on new evidence that may finally solve the mystery of the aircraft’s disappearance exactly seven years ago today.
Peter Foley oversaw the Australian government’s high-resolution sonar search of 50,000 square miles of Indian Ocean floor but failed to find any sign of the jet, which vanished with 239 people on board shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur airport on 8 March 2014.
However, Foley has now told The Times that new research by oceanographers and flight experts suggests the wreckage may lie in another, as-yet unexplored region of the ocean.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Sun reports that the new evidence is based on “analysis of a piece of Boeing 777 debris that washed up on a beach in South Africa last August”. A newly released report by an independent group of experts says that the wing spoiler is believed to be from MH370 and that the damage indicates it was torn off the aircraft in an uncontrolled high-speed dive.
The finding “counters alternate theories of a ditching by a rogue pilot”. And “ocean drift analysis and a review of a revised flight path” suggest that the plane probably “went down about 1,200 miles west of Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia, in an area notorious for its deep ocean floor canyons and underwater mountains”, The Times adds.
Foley told the paper that “a new inquiry should inspect the sea floor 70 nautical miles either side of the target area”.
The Malaysian government has previously said that it would need compelling new evidence before mounting another search.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joe Evans is the world news editor at TheWeek.co.uk. He joined the team in 2019 and held roles including deputy news editor and acting news editor before moving into his current position in early 2021. He is a regular panellist on The Week Unwrapped podcast, discussing politics and foreign affairs.
Before joining The Week, he worked as a freelance journalist covering the UK and Ireland for German newspapers and magazines. A series of features on Brexit and the Irish border got him nominated for the Hostwriter Prize in 2019. Prior to settling down in London, he lived and worked in Cambodia, where he ran communications for a non-governmental organisation and worked as a journalist covering Southeast Asia. He has a master’s degree in journalism from City, University of London, and before that studied English Literature at the University of Manchester.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 16, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - pointed commentary, Haiti in trouble, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the RNC's MAGA takeover
Cartoons Artists take on RNC funding, Lara Trump, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Trump's presidential run: a bad bet for Republicans?
Talking Point The GOP is taking a 'big gamble' on former president's 2024 White House bid
By The Week UK Published
-
SUVs: the scourge of the streets?
Talking Point 'Hulking vehicles' are more dangerous and polluting than smaller cars but offer a sense of safety
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The 100-year-old railway Mexico hopes will rival the Panama Canal
Under the radar The route will run across Mexico's narrowest point, connecting the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Pros and cons of e-scooters
Pros and Cons Enthusiasts praise their convenience but sceptics say they are dangerous and environmentally damaging
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Rail strikes: is Britain on track for a ‘summer of discontent’?
Speed Read The ‘biggest rail strike in modern history’ is planned for next week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
China Eastern Airlines plane crash: how did disaster occur at 29,000 feet?
feature Piecing together a full picture of events ‘could take years’
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
‘See it. Say it. Sorted’: is it the end of the line for train announcements?
Speed Read The transport secretary has pledged a ‘bonfire of the banalities’ on England’s railways
By The Week Staff Published
-
MH370: Richard Godfrey theory ‘closest anyone has come’ to solving aviation mystery
feature The retired aerospace engineer believes pilot hijacked and diverted his own plane for political reasons
By The Week Staff Published
-
Suez Canal blockage investigators shine spotlight on Ever Given crew
feature Billions of dollars at stake as experts try to explain who or what is to blame for the cargo ship’s grounding
By Joe Evans Last updated