Kuala Lumpur--Malaysia's handling of Flight MH370's disappearance faced new criticism on Monday after an interim investigation uncovered a dud beacon battery and more potential missed opportunities to track the plane a year ago.
The international investigation team set up by Malaysia released its interim report on Sunday, the first anniversary of the disappearance. It contained no new clues on what caused the plane to vanish with 239 passengers and crew aboard.
But analysts and next of kin raised questions over some findings, including the revelation that the beacon battery on the flight data recorder had expired more than a year before the flight.
"I hope the international aviation body punishes Malaysia Airlines for non-compliance with regards to the expired battery," said Lim Wee Hoon, a Malaysian national whose brother-in-law was aboard.
She called the report part of a continuing Malaysian "cover-up".
The battery discovery "raises issues over the integrity of maintenance" at the carrier, said Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor for Flightglobal magazine.
"Did that play a role in the inability to find the plane? We really don't know if that was a factor," he said.
The plane is believed to have crashed in the remote southern Indian Ocean, but nothing has been found despite an expensive and difficult search effort led by Australia.
AFP
