The Boeing 777 jet went missing on March 8 last year, carrying 239 passengers and crew shortly after taking off from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing.
Despite months of searches, investigators have failed to find any trace of the aircraft and Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has now ruled that the disappearance accidental.DCA director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said:
'We officially declare Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 an accident... and that all 239 of the passengers and crew onboard MH370 are presumed to have lost their lives. It will allow families of the passengers to obtain assistance through compensation,Both investigations are limited by the lack of physical evidence at this time, particularly the flight recorders,' Therefore, at this juncture, there is no evidence to substantiate any speculations as to the cause of the accident.'
The DCA plans to release an interim report on the investigation into the missing jetliner on March 7, a day before the first anniversary of the disappearance.
International investigators are looking into why the jet veered thousands of miles off course from its scheduled route before eventually plunging into the Indian Ocean. Malaysia is also conducting a criminal investigation.
'This declaration is by no means the end,'
