Australia-led MH370 search to be called off in 2016

Canberra, June 4: The search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 led by Australia is expected to be called off early next year, the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) said on Thursday.

The decision has been taken as JACC is yet to found concreate result in MH370 search operation. JACC announced that the search would be wound up early in 2016 unless there was a positive development in the meantime.

In April this year, Australian, Malaysian and Chinese ministers decided to expand search area by another 60,000 sq km for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 if nothing is found in the current search zone.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, disappeared on 8 March 2014 with 239 people on board.

"In the absence of credible new information that leads to the identification of a specific location of the aircraft, governments have agreed that there will be no further expansion of the search area," the JACC said.

The current search has already costed Australia $80 million and Malaysia $45 million. Rough winter seas have also delayed recent search efforts.

No wreckage from MH370 has ever been found, leading Malaysian authorities in January to declare that all the people on-board were presumed dead.

Over 50,000 sq.km of the seafloor has been scoured so far with no trace of the aircraft.

OneIndia News (With inputs from agency)