MH370 Latest Search Update: Families of Chinese Passengers Still Hopeful of Reconciliation, Search To End June 2016

Jan 06, 2016 02:10 PM EST

Families of the 154 Chinese passengers who vanished along with the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are not giving up on their loved ones. They want the search broadened so that the possibility of finding the still missing Boeing 777 can be increased.

In a statement, still grieving families are hopeful that those who are on board the missing aircraft are still alive - just trapped in an unknown location. They stated that as long as bodies of the passengers are still not found, they still have a glimmer of hope that their families are still alive. They added that if this is the case, they are even willing to give amnesty to the "perpetrators" as long as they return the missing passengers. 

The statement was released in several countries: Australia, Canada, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine and the United States. Apart from Chinese passengers, nationals from these countries were onboard the missing aircraft when it disappeared. 

The families of the Chinese passengers claimed that even though it is nearly two years since the incident, they still cannot trust the official statements being released over the matter. 

"We do not believe any of the series of official statements starting from March 24, 2014, up to and including that of September 3, 2015. "There is no real proof justifying any of these statements," they said. 

While the families of Chinese passengers are still hoping to see them alive, authorities are starting to feel hopeless. Authorities have already announced that the search in the Indian Ocean will soon be called off unless the aircraft is found. They gave a deadline of June 2016. Two vessels- Fugro Equator and Havila Harmony, are currently deployed in the area to search the ocean floor. They have been searching since last year, and through the holidays.

"Consistent with the undertaking given by the Governments of Australia, Malaysia and the People's Republic of China earlier this year, 120,000 square kilometres will be thoroughly searched,' said Australia's Joint Agency Coordination Centre

It is anticipated that the search will be completed by June 2016.  If the aircraft is found, affected states have already made plans on how to carry out the recovery activities. 

"In the event the aircraft is found and accessible, Australia, Malaysia and the People's Republic of China have agreed to plans for recovery activities, including securing all the evidence necessary for the accident investigation," the statement said.