MH370: Malaysia authorities suspend search for missing flight

The Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing in 2014, becoming one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries

MH370: Malaysia authorities suspend search for missing flight
MH370: Malaysia authorities suspend search for missing flight

The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean has seen an unexpected hurdle.

As reported by NBC, on Thursday, April 3, Malaysian Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook shared that the search has been discontinued till the end of the year due to poor weather conditions.

In 2014, MH370 vanished during its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, which was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members.

Related: Malaysia resumes search for missing MH370 wreckage after 10 years

The minister did not go in details for the reason behind such a long delay.

While mentioning the US exploration company, Ocean Infinity, which was given the contract for the search, he noted, "I think right now it's not the season. I think they (Ocean Infinity) have stopped the operation for the time being and will resume the search at the end of this year."

Just last month, Malaysia agreed to an agreement with Ocean Infinity to resume the search for the plane in a new location estimated to cover about 5,790 square miles in the southern Indian Ocean.

The contract is signed on "no find, no fee" policy, hence, the company will be paid $70 million if they managed to locate the wreckage successfully.

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Notably, in Southern Hemisphere, it is now autumn and poor winter conditions are expected to predominate for several months, making the search for the missing flight difficult.