Devastating news for loved ones ... MH370 search to end next week

The search for flight MH370 will end next week, Malaysia’s transport minister said yesterday, more than four years after the plane disappeared and triggered one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries. The Malaysia Airlines jet vanished in March 2014 with 239 people -- mostly from China -- on board, in route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. No sign of the jet was found in a 120,000 square kilometre (46,000 square mile) sea search zone and the Australian-led hunt, was suspended in January last year.

After pressure from family members, the former Malaysian government struck a deal with US exploration firm Ocean Infinity to restart the search in January on the condition it would only be paid if the Boeing 777 or its black boxes were found. The firm stood to make up to $70 million if successful but did not find any sign of the jet despite scouring the seabed with some of the world’s most hitech search equipment.

Grace Nathan, a Malaysian lawyer whose mother Anne Daisy was on the plane, said the news was not a surprise but said the government should leave the “no find, no fee” offer on the table in case a company wants to take on the search in future.