It has been over a year since Malaysian airplane MH370 went missing over the Indian Ocean, and some were beginning to believe that we may never find out what happened to it. We are still a long way away from figuring that out, but officials confirmed today that wreckage that washed up on Reunion Island is officially part of the missing plane.
More than likely this finding will not help locate the rest of the plane, but it certainly gives families closure that the plane did go down in the ocean.
Over the past year, this story has been one of the weirdest stories in the world. The plane was on its way to Beijing, China, and diverted from its course and disappeared. After much study was done, it was concluded that it had flown deep into the Indian Ocean until it crashed into the ocean.
Perhaps even more difficult than the loss of the plane was the uncertainty that came for the families as they have sat and waited for 17 months to find this news out. Search crews have been scouring the ocean floor, but had yet to find any piece of the plane until this fragment. What it doesn’t do, however, is give them any idea where the plane could be due to the ocean currents that the piece of the plane could have followed.
“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 Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. “They have our deepest sympathy and prayers.”
Investigators have said that the piece of wing could provide information on the moment that the plane hit the water, but nothing more than that. It would at least give some answers to a situation that has had zero since everything went down.
Whether or not this will help find the plane in any way is unknown, but it is certainly a big break for investigators. Getting closure for the families was the biggest need in this entire situation, and that has now happened with this finding.
Our prayers go up to the families of the 239 people that were on board the flight when it went down into the ocean, and we hope that this news can help begin the healing process.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to Reuters
