‘Unfathomable’ that ten years since MH370 disappeared, there are still no answers

Ten years after MH370 vanished, families of those on board find it unfathomable they still don’t know what happened.

Ten years after Malaysia Airlines’ Flight MH370 vanished in the most bizarre circumstances, the families of those on board struggle to understand how they still don’t know what happened to their loved ones.

The Boeing 777 was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, when it inexplicably disappeared from flight radars less than an hour into the journey.

There were 239 people on board, including 227 passengers and 12 crew.

Six of those were Australians, including Melia Burrows’ parents Rodney and Mary Burrows.

The couple had been looking forward to the trip of a lifetime with friends Bob and Cathy Lawton, before returning home to Brisbane to retire and welcome their first grandchild.

“I was 22 when the plane went missing, and that’s a really young age to lose your parents and never have an explanation for,” said Ms Burrows, now a mother of one.

“It has been a challenging time and every year when we come to the anniversary, it’s particularly triggering not to have an answer or an explanation.”

Rodney and Mary Burrows were among 239 people on board missing flight MH370.

The frustration was exacerbated by a perceived lack of will from Malaysia to find answers, with talk of a renewed search this week ­conditional on “compelling new evidence”.

Ms Burrows said it was unfathomable that 10 years on, no one had been held accountable for a large passenger flight that failed to arrive at its destination. “I don’t feel like there’s been much care or interest given to finding an answer or supporting the families through this process,” she said.

“I feel really disappointed there hasn’t been anything more done by Malaysia Airlines or the Malaysian government, or pressure from the Australian government, to continue a search.”

To get through the last 10 years, Ms Burrows said it was necessary to have a theory about what happened “because that let’s you sleep at night”.

She said her family believed the pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, was responsible for turning the plane and flying until it ditched in the ocean because there did not seem to be another logical explanation.

“My hope is the passengers were not aware, and I think everyone’s hope is that their loved ones weren’t scared or in pain in their final moments,” Ms Burrows said.

“It would seem this incident was a selfish pilot suicide, potentially for political reasons.”

The daughter of Bob and Cathy Lawton, Amanda Lawton said it had been an agonising ten years without her parents.

She said the pain experienced when the awful news was first made public, continued to linger.

“So much has changed, but the reality that they are still missing remains. We seek answers. We deserve the truth,” said Ms Lawton.

“We desperately hope the search for MH370 resumes.”

It was not only the next of kin of those on board who believe the disappearance of MH370 has not been adequately investigated.

Months after the incident, Emirates president Tim Clark expressed concern that information was being concealed by Malaysian authorities about the flight. On a recent visit to Australia, Sir Tim said he still held that view. “Put it this way, I’m not surprised it hasn’t been found,” he said.

“Every aircraft at Emirates we can track at any point in its journey irrespective of where it’s flying … the fact we could lose one of our 777s is … frankly impossible and then not to be able to find any remnants of it once it disappeared is a mystery.

“It’s one of those mysteries going into the legends, myth and folklore of the airline world.”

Families of those on board MH370 remain unhappy with the response of Malaysia Airlines to the bizarre disappearance of one of its Boeing 777s. Picture: Mohd Rasfan/AFP

Ms Burrows said the risk of a repeat event played on her mind every time she boarded an aircraft.

Friday’s 10th anniversary would see her and her siblings travel to the Sunshine Coast for a gathering of their extended family, to celebrate their parents’ life and to “survive it as well”.

Originally published as ‘Unfathomable’ that ten years since MH370 disappeared, there are still no answers