Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Monday satellite analysis showed Malaysia Airlines plane had flown along the southern corridor and ended in southern Indian Ocean.
KUALA LUMPUR: Inmarsat satellite analysis showed that the missing Malaysia Airlines plane had flown along the southern corridor and ended its journey in the southern Indian Ocean, said Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Monday.
He was speaking at a news conference after being briefed by representatives from the UK Air Accidents Investigative Branch (AAIB).
Najib said: "They informed me that Inmarsat, the UK company that provided the satellite data which indicated the northern and southern corridors, has been performing further calculations on the data.
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| Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak delivers a statement on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 during a press conference at the Putra World Trade Center (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur on March 24, 2014. At 10pm Singapore time on Monday, March 24, 2014, Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak said that based on data on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, it was assumed that the plane crashed in the southern Indian Ocean. |
"Using a type of analysis never before used in investigation of this sort, they have been able to shed more light on MH370's flight path."
The prime minister said satellite images showed the plane's "last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth" and experts concluded that the plane had crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.
"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."
Najib added: "Malaysian Airlines have already spoken to the families of the passengers and crew to inform them of this development.
"For them, the past few weeks have been heartbreaking; I know this news must be harder still. I urge the media to respect their privacy, and to allow them the space they need at this difficult time."
The prime minister said another news conference will be held on Tuesday with further details.
Before Najib's news conference at 10pm on Monday, Malaysia Airlines had told families of the 239 people on board the plane that all lives had been lost.
"Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived," it said in a text message to relatives.
"On behalf of all of us at Malaysia Airlines and all Malaysians, our prayers go out to all the loved ones of the 226 passengers and of our 13 friends and colleagues at this enormously painful time," the airline said on its website.
It said MAS would continue to give them its full support throughout the difficult weeks and months ahead.
The news came as an Australian navy ship was close to finding possible debris from the missing plane as a number of sightings of floating objects raised hopes wreckage of the plane may soon be found.
Earlier on Monday, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said one of his country's planes had spotted two objects during a search of the southern Indian Ocean.
Abbott said it was not known whether the objects came from the Boeing 777 which went missing on March 8.
"Nevertheless we are hopeful that we can recover these objects soon and they will take us a step closer to resolving this tragic mystery," he told the Australian parliament.
