Malaysia officially declares flight MH370 is lost, 239 passengers presumed dead

Kuala Lumpur, Jan 29 : Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was on Thursday declared as lost by the Malaysian authorities -- almost a year after it went missing.

Director General of the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation Azharuddin Abdul Rahman announced here that the status of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been finalised as lost.

The director general also said passengers and crew of the flight have been presumed dead, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It is, therefore, with the heaviest heart and deepest sorrow that, on behalf of the government of Malaysia, we officially declare Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 an accident and that all 239 of the passengers and crew on board MH370 are presumed to have lost their lives."

The plane, a Boeing 777-200, disappeared March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers and crew on board just 40 minutes after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing.

No remains of the fuselage nor bodies have been found so far.

Search teams continue combing an area spanning 60,000 sq km in the southern Indian Ocean along an arc stretching from the west coast of Australia.

IANS