A new search begins for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, the jetliner that vanished more than a decade ago with 239 people on board. Ocean Infinity, a firm based in the U.S. and U.K., will use underwater marine robotics to search approximately 5,800 square miles of seabed in the Indian Ocean over the next 55 days.
The company previously searched this area in 2018 but now has access to better technology, different tools and improved software that may help locate the wreckage of MH370.
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Flight 370 took off in March 2014, departing from Kuala Lumpur bound for China. The Boeing 777 diverted from its planned path, traveling south back over Malaysia before disappearing somewhere over the Indian Ocean.
Small pieces of wing wreckage have washed ashore in Africa over the years, helping investigators narrow down the search area. However, the main wreckage and the aircraft's black boxes have never been located.
Many of the 239 passengers were Chinese nationals. Families have endured more than 11 years without knowing what happened to their loved ones.
The Malaysian government said in a statement that "the search will be carried out in a targeted area assessed to have the highest probability of locating the aircraft and the latest development underscores the government of Malaysia's commitment in providing closure to the families affected by this tragedy."
Ocean Infinity had to scrub a previous attempt that began in April due to bad weather conditions.
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Several theories have emerged about what happened to MH370. The most prominent theory suggests a possible suicide by pilot scenario, where the captain deliberately made the plane vanish from radar before downing it in the Indian Ocean. Some evidence suggested the pilot may have pointed the plane toward his home island for one last look before the aircraft went into the water.
The pilot's family has strongly disputed this theory over the years.
Another theory suggests the plane experienced a controlled ditching into the ocean, similar to an emergency landing when an aircraft runs out of fuel. This would be very different from a deliberate attempt to down the plane.
Without the main wreckage, investigators cannot determine what actually happened to the aircraft. Finding the wreckage could provide crucial clues and evidence to finally answer what happened to Flight 370.
