Missing Malaysia Airlines jet: No closure until actual wreckage of MH370 is found

Dubai: Until solid evidence of the wreckage or debris from the missing Malaysian aircraft is found, there can no be closure for the relatives of the passengers of MH370, said Malaysians who spoke to Gulf News on Tuesday.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Monday announced that the Malaysian aircraft that disappeared more than two weeks ago crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, based on new satellite analysis from Britain.

None of the 239 passengers and crew survived according to the analysis.

The announcement was made as a navy ship was close to finding possible debris from the jetliner after several number of sightings of floating objects believed to parts of the plane.

But Captain Othman Bin Mat Taib, a former pilot who now works as the head of safety of an aviation company in the UAE, said it would have been more prudent if the announcement was made if an actual wreckage was found.

“Everything at this moment is assumed. I think it is inappropriate to announce what happened to the aircraft at this moment until there is solid evidence to substantiate it,” Bin Mat Taib told Gulf News.

Bin Mat Taib said the announcement could have grave repercussions later on if the leads were incorrect.

“What if a passenger suddenly comes out alive? What now? In an accident investigation, you cannot give any conclusions or findings that are not based on enough facts. So until we find actual debris from the aircraft, the questions will remain unanswered. There won’t be any closure unless you find evidence,” Bin Mat Taib said.

Norris Sulaiman, a Dubai-based oil trader, said he could feel the pain of the relatives of the passengers.

“To be honest, I was hoping the plane landed somewhere or was hijacked. Not that we don’t trust the report of the government, but we want to know for sure. If you put yourself in the shoes of the relatives, you will need to see actual evidence that your loved ones perished. They might be prepared for the worst, but they need proof,” Sulaiman told Gulf News.

Sulaiman said the turn of events has unfortunately affected him as a Malaysian and his community as well.

“The moment people hear I’m a Malaysian, they make remarks about our government that it’s not doing enough. It kind of hurts me and I don’t know how to respond to that. They forget that this is an unprecedented event,” Sulaiman said. “We’ve become famous for the wrong reason.”

He stressed that closure can only be achieved once the black box is recovered and analysed. Only then can people’s questions can be answered.

Mohammad Shariff, a finance manager, agreed.

“I’m not disputing the government’s decision, but at least let’s be very very certain from real hard evidence before making any announcements. There have been too many false alarms over the past two weeks. One satellite found this, but no,it didn’t lead to anything, and then another, and then another.”

Shariff said just like everyone, he is anxious to know the truth, and he will wait until it is found.

“The truth is out there. Until they confirm from actual wreckage, I will still hope that they’re out there somewhere.”