Bad weather is forcing the suspension of the search for a missing Malaysian jetliner, which authorities have now concluded crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority says high waves, strong winds and dense clouds are preventing airplanes and ships from searching the area, 1,500 kilometers west of Perth.
The search will be suspended for 24 hours. But officials say it should resume Wednesday, when conditions are expected to improve.
Late Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said a new analysis of satellite data indicates the plane "ended" in the remote region, far away from any land or airstrip.
The prime minister gave no exact location for the suspected crash and no wreckage has been found, though satellite photos and surveillance aircraft have spotted possible debris.
Many of the relatives of the 239 people on board the Boeing 777, which vanished March 8, reacted with a mixture of grief and anger to the announcement.
Mrs. Hu, a Chinese lady whose husband was on board the missing jet, said she will not believe the Malaysian authorities until they provide proof the plane crashed.
"They said the plane went down in the southern Indian Ocean, but they have not found the plane yet. What are they basing this on?"
Two-thirds of the plane's passengers were Chinese. Many of their family members accuse the Malaysian government of mishandling the rescue effort and misleading the public.
The Chinese government has also accused Malaysia of not providing complete information in its search for the plane.
A final conclusion about what happened on flight MH370 likely cannot be made until the plane's flight data recorder, or "black box" is located.
The U.S. Navy on Monday said it is sending a black box detector to aid in the search for the plane. The Navy says the "Towed Pinger Locator" could detect the missing airplane's black box to a depth of about 6,100 meters.
The black box recorder contains detailed information about what takes place on an aircraft.
The Malaysia Airlines passenger jet disappeared while on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. There has been little evidence of what happened to the jet.
Investigators are not ruling out anything, including catastrophic mechanical failure, pilot sabotage or terrorism.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority says high waves, strong winds and dense clouds are preventing airplanes and ships from searching the area, 1,500 kilometers west of Perth.
The search will be suspended for 24 hours. But officials say it should resume Wednesday, when conditions are expected to improve.
Late Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said a new analysis of satellite data indicates the plane "ended" in the remote region, far away from any land or airstrip.
The prime minister gave no exact location for the suspected crash and no wreckage has been found, though satellite photos and surveillance aircraft have spotted possible debris.
Many of the relatives of the 239 people on board the Boeing 777, which vanished March 8, reacted with a mixture of grief and anger to the announcement.
Mrs. Hu, a Chinese lady whose husband was on board the missing jet, said she will not believe the Malaysian authorities until they provide proof the plane crashed.
"They said the plane went down in the southern Indian Ocean, but they have not found the plane yet. What are they basing this on?"
Two-thirds of the plane's passengers were Chinese. Many of their family members accuse the Malaysian government of mishandling the rescue effort and misleading the public.
The Chinese government has also accused Malaysia of not providing complete information in its search for the plane.
A final conclusion about what happened on flight MH370 likely cannot be made until the plane's flight data recorder, or "black box" is located.
The U.S. Navy on Monday said it is sending a black box detector to aid in the search for the plane. The Navy says the "Towed Pinger Locator" could detect the missing airplane's black box to a depth of about 6,100 meters.
The black box recorder contains detailed information about what takes place on an aircraft.
The Malaysia Airlines passenger jet disappeared while on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. There has been little evidence of what happened to the jet.
Investigators are not ruling out anything, including catastrophic mechanical failure, pilot sabotage or terrorism.