The disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 was an accident, and all 239 people on board are presumed dead, the Malaysian government announced Thursday in a BBC report. Meanwhile, the investigation into the mystery and the search for the Boeing 777 continue. Four vessels are using sonar technology to search thesouthern Indian Ocean and have covered an area of more than 11,185 square miles to depths of up to 19,685 feet, the BBC’s report said.
The airliner disappeared on March 8, 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Declaring the disappearance an accident will start the process of compensating the victims’ families.The Department of Civil Aviation said this week it will release an interim report on the investigation March 7, the BBC reported. DCA Director-General Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said an update on the safety investigation would be released soon, but that “at this juncture, there is no evidence to substantiate any speculations as to the cause of the accident.” Rahman said that it was “with the heaviest heart and deepest sorrow that we officially declare Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 an accident.”
