Malaysia draws flak for ‘text’ announcing jet crash

Malaysian officials spoke to the media on Tuesday, March 25 to defend the manner by which they informed the families of missing Malaysian Airlines flight 370 of the plane’s final outcome. The Malaysian government and airline officials have received criticism from the families of the passengers and the public for sending SMS texts to the families that the plane likely crashed in the southern Indian Ocean. Malaysian authorities said this was done so that the families would receive the information from official sources instead of from the the media. Shortly after the texts were sent and some families were briefed at a Beijing hotel, the Malaysian Prime Minister went on live television to announce that the airplane most likely crashed into the sea. The announcement caused grief and shock to the family members of the passengers, many of whom are angry at the Malaysian government for its handling of the crisis. Search operations for possible aircraft debris were called off on Tuesday due to poor weather conditions.


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