Families express frustration, disbelief after plane part found on island
Air, land and sea searches were launched around an island in the Indian Ocean last week following the discovery of an airplane fragment on the shore, which officials deemed to be a “major lead” in the search for missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370.
The plane part—a wing flap fragment from a Boeing 777—was sent from Reunion Island, a French territory east of Madagascar, to a laboratory in France for inspection and analysis.
Last week, Malaysia’s prime minister announced that experts have “conclusively confirmed that the fragment is indeed from MH370,” adding that this is the first “major breakthrough” to the plane’s mysterious disappearance from radar.
“I hope that this confirmation, however tragic and painful, will at least bring certainty to the families and loved ones of the 239 people on board MH370,” said Prime Minister Najib Razak. “They have our deepest sympathy and prayers.”
However, French and Australian officials were more circumspect about the 6-foot-long fragment, awaiting further details. “Investigators can very strongly presume the debris was from the missing plane,” said French deputy prosecutor Serge Mackowiak.
Angry relatives protested at Malaysia Airlines’ office in Beijing, with many saying they are waiting for a more conclusive analysis before they accept that the debris came from the missing jet. Many accused Malaysian authorities of jumping the gun on confirmation, and “trying to tie a neat bow on an otherwise complicated investigation.”
Families of the passengers have been sharply critical of the Malaysian government for releasing misleading information during the 17-month investigation into the plane’s disappearance in March 2014. They accused the airline of “delaying, concealing, and cheating” the investigation, complained about a lack of information updates, and demanded greater transparency from officials. Many have declined to claim the $50,000 in compensation that the airline offered, saying they didn’t want to request death certificates for their loved ones.
“I am not completely convinced that the debris belongs to the missing plane,” said Steve Wang, leader of the MH370 family committee in China whose mother is on the plane. “The French side’s remarks are (only) strong supposition. I don’t understand why the Malaysian side rushed to a conclusion and made such an announcement.”
“Even if the debris ultimately belongs to MH370, this is only the beginning of the investigation. There are many questions remaining. Where is the main body of the plane? What on earth happened to it? Who caused it? Who should be held responsible? Who should be punished? We families demand the answers. This is just the beginning and it will be a long process to figure it all out.”
“We want the world to know that we are not living in denial,” said a statement from a group of victims’ families, calling itself The Cry for Truth. “However, we are not prepared to give up on our loved ones unless and until there is 100% certainty.”
The group issued a statement last week through Voice 370, an international MH370 families support group, saying they’ve been “apprehensive about the handling of the whole incident from day one.” They also rejected Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak’s announcement, confirming that the Réunion Island wreckage came from the plane.
The Cry for Truth group asked that all debris be analyzed “at a reputable place with the appropriate expertise and equipment.” They suggested Australia, which is leading the ocean search for the plane, or France.
“If the wreckage is identified, what that does is give some degree of closure to the families who are waiting for information,” said Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss at a news conference in Sydney. “If it can be established beyond doubt that the aircraft has gone into the water then that helps people to understand what happened.”
On August 14, Malaysia inspection officials confirmed that the debris found in recent weeks in the tropical Maldives islands were not from the missing jet, and completely unrelated.
Flight 370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, with 239 people on board. Search efforts for the missing plane have expanded across thousands of miles of deep ocean.
“It hurts to have to give up that last thread of hope, but there is also a sad relief,” said Sarah Bacj, the girlfriend of Philip Wood, who was on the plane. “Now we can begin the process of closure which has been very, very hard to do.” (With reports from NBC News, CBS News, International Business Times, Associated Press)
