Malaysian prime minister says missing flight “ended in Indian Ocean”

A last-minute news conference, a grim-faced Malaysian prime minister confirmed the worst fears of family and friends of those on board Flight 370.

“It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that according to this new data, Flight MH370 ended in the Southern Indian Ocean,” said Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

For loved ones, the news was simply too much to bear.

“My son, my daughter-in-law and granddaughter were all on board. All three family members are gone. I am desperate!” Exclaimed a fanatical woman in mourning.

Malaysian airlines sent them a simple text message with the stark conclusion: “none of those on board survived.”

“For them, the past few weeks have been heartbreaking. I know this news must be harder still,” Razak stated.

Seventeen days after the Malaysian Airlines jet vanished, the conclusion came not from new evidence, but deeper examination of the clues experts have been poring over for days. After an exhaustive and unprecedented study, British communications company Inmarsat concluded pings received from the plane in its final hours placed it, without question, over the southern Indian Ocean – ruling out the northern arc that had, at one point, been considered a possible path for the plane.

“If you look at the plots, using our recent adjusted techniques, the most likely route is to the south and the most likely destination is where they are searching,” said senior vice president of Inmarsat Chris McLaughlin.

The new satellite data comes as search aircraft spotted possible debris in the southern corridor search area, including at least one item that appears orange, which is, of course, the color of the life vests on board. Satellite images over the weekend from France and Australia also captured much larger pieces of possible wreckage. An Australian ship sent to recover them, however, has so far found nothing.