Malaysia says a new analysis of satellite data indicates its missing passenger jet crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Monday that a more thorough examination of the flight's path, based on satellite data collected by a British company, showed that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 plunged into the water in a remote location west of Perth.
"It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean."
He said that relatives of the 239 people on board the planned flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing had been told of the fate of the Boeing 777.
His announcement came as an Australian Navy ship tried to locate several objects seen by aircraft searching for the missing plane in the southern Indian Ocean, southwest of Australia.