Missing MH370: Petition pushing for search to continue gains momentum

It may seem like a last ditch effort for answers but the family members of those on board the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are not giving up. A petition started last year by MH370 cryfortruth, is gaining momentum as the three countries involved in the search operation - Malaysia, China and Australia - talk about calling off the search once the current under-sea operation in the targeted area in the Indian Ocean is completed.

Voice370, the support group for family members is now asking the international community to help support and fund the continued search for the missing aircraft. They say this is to "determine what happened to this flight, and in the interest of aviation safety, to prevent a recurrence of a similar event."

They are also asking that the search for MH370 be diversified to "show the world that no stone really is being left unturned in the aftermath of this unprecedented disaster." Referring to how family members have been treated as they seek transparency and answers, they said: "There is still time for all involved to be responsive to these families."

"We ask any who read this, and agree with its sentiment, to sign the families' petition here, or to share it, with like-minded others," the petition says. Those interested in signing the petition can do so at: http://tinyurl.com/zfqnyfb . The petition has so far received 1,760 supporters.

The letter is addressed to Boeing, the governments of Malaysia, China and Australia, the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), leaders of "big and small" countries, aviation industry regulators including the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), commercial entities including Airbus, and the aviation industry organisations like the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Flying Fox Activity Safety Alert at Australian Airports (IFALPA), the Inter-National Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA) , the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) and the Airports Council International (ACI).

The Boeing 777, carrying 239 passengers and crew, disappeared while on a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Other than a flaperon, the only piece of the aircraft to have been found and confirmed as belonging to the aircraft, the whereabouts of the plane remains a mystery.

Voice370 last week issued a plea to Boeing as well as other companies and countries to help fund the search for the missing aircraft. Australia and Malaysia have said that if no further clues are uncovered once the under-sea search in the targeted area is completed by mid year, search attempts will be abandoned as it would no longer be cost-effective.

The social media was filled with various messages and pictures of loved ones as the 239 missing people were remembered. One user noted: "Losing an eraser when I was a kid was normal. Losing trace of an aeroplane in a country like Malaysia is truly abnormal!"