NBC News Confirms Missing Malaysia Airline's Plane 'Ended' in Indian Ocean

By: Caryn Robbins Mar. 24, 2014

NBC reports that new satellite data analysis confirms that missing Malaysia Airline Flight 370 crashed into the southern Indian Ocean. The tragic news was revealed at a new conference held this morning with Malaysia's prime minister, Najib Razak.

Razak said flight data suggested the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777's "last position was in The Middle of the Indian Ocean west of Perth, [Australia]," adding, "This is a remote location, far from any possible landing site. It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that according to this data the flight ended in the southern Indian Ocean."

The prime minister said that the conclusion was based on work by the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch and satellite firm Inmarsat, which had been "performing further calculations on the data, using a type of analysis, never before used in an investigation of this sort."

The plane has been missing for more than two weeks and had created both mystery and speculation on a worldwide basis. Najib's announcement was the first official confirmation of the fate of the Boeing 777 that vanished on March 8.

"Malaysia Airlines have already spoken to the families of the passengers and crew to inform them of this development," the prime minister added. "For them the past few weeks have been heartbreaking. I know this news must be harder still. We accept the news of the tragedy. It is fate"

The families of Flight 370's passengers were sent text messages by the airline telling them that the plane had been "lost and that none of those aboard have survived."