Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 declared an ‘accident’, passengers presumed dead

After months of searching for the Malaysian Airlines jetliner that vanished over the Indian Ocean, the plane’s disappearance has now been declared an “accident” and the search for any survivors has ended.

NBC News reported that on Thursday, officials made the announcement and called off the search as those on board the aircraft are presumed dead.

"It is therefore, with the heaviest heart and deepest sorrow that, on behalf of the government of Malaysia, we officially declare Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 an accident," said Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director general of Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation. "All 239 of the passengers and crew on board MH370 are presumed to have lost their lives."

Reuters noted that Rahman also said the company will proceed with compensation for the families of the passengers that were on the doomed flight.

On March 8, 2014, the Boeing 777 aircraft vanished without a trace while traveling from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. More than 25 countries around the globe participated in the search, but wreckage from the plane was never found.