– ‘No words to ease pain’ –
The airline, in a statement sent to families, said “we have to assume” the plane was lost.
“Our prayers go out to all the loved ones of the 226 passengers and of our 13 friends and colleagues at this enormously painful time,” it said.
“We know there are no words that we or anyone else can say which can ease your pain.”
The airline said the multinational search, which is scouring a stretch of the forbidding Indian Ocean to find any debris, would continue “as we seek answers to the questions which remain”.
Malaysia believes the plane was deliberately diverted by someone on board. But the absence of firm evidence has fuelled intense speculation and conspiracy theories, and tormented the families of the missing. READ: Malaysia says ‘data deleted’ from pilot’s simulator.
Leading theories include a hijacking, pilot sabotage, or a sudden mid-air crisis that incapacitated the flight crew and left the plane to fly on auto-pilot until it ran out of fuel.
MH370 last made contact over the South China Sea halfway between Malaysia and Vietnam. For reasons unknown, it backtracked over the Malaysian peninsula and then flew on for hours.
The search swung deep into the Indian Ocean last week after initial satellite images depicted large floating objects there.
Hopes of a resolution to the mystery rose after a weekend in which an Australian aircraft spotted a wooden pallet, strapping and other debris, and French and Chinese satellite information indicated more floating objects.
An Australian-led multinational air and sea search has been scouring the vast ocean and there were two separate sightings Wednesday of possible debris from the plane.
Crew members of an Australian P-3 Orion plane reported seeing two objects, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told parliament.
Australian officials said they were different to pieces seen by a Chinese plane earlier in the day.
The Australian naval ship HMAS Success, equipped with a crane, was in the area, about 2,500 kilometres (1,562 miles) southwest of Perth, and will attempt to recover the objects.
Abbott cautioned that it was not known whether the objects came from the missing Boeing 777.
“Nevertheless we are hopeful that we can recover these objects soon and they will take us a step closer to resolving this tragic mystery,” he said.
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