Distress and fury over fate of flight 370

Relatives of flight MH370’s passengers and crew have been told that the plane crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, leaving no survivors.

The Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing went missing with 239 people on board on March 8, sparking an international hunt for clues to help find it.

Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak announced that data from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch and British tracking firm Inmarsat had revealed that MH370’s last position was in the ocean west of Perth, Australia.

Mr Razak left no hope for the possibility of survivors, stating that the plane had gone down in 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,” said Mr Razak.

Distraught family members who have lost loved ones were informed of the news ahead of Mr Razak’s press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Distressing images of relatives who have been staying at a hotel in Beijing during the search were broadcast across the world after they were informed of the announcement.

“For them, the past few weeks have been heartbreaking. I know this news must be harder still,” Mr Razak said.

Several satellite images of potential debris in that area had been picked up ahead of the announcement.

As the search for debris continued, the mystery of what happened to the plane remains unsolved ahead of a press conference today, when more details will be revealed.

Since it went missing, experts have speculated about various scenarios — from a terror attack or hijacking to pilot error or mechanical problems.

China’s foreign ministry reportedly said that it had “demanded that Malaysia provide all information and evidence about how it reached this conclusion”.

Although the plane was carrying passengers from 15 nations, most were Chinese citizens.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines denied reports that it had communicated the news to Chinese relatives in an English language text message.

A spokesman said: “Malaysia Airlines did not only send an SMS. The message was conveyed to all families face to face by our top management at the hotels.

“SMS and phone calls were made to those who are not in the hotels via our family support centre. We wanted to ensure that families are informed via all channels.”