Analysis by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau suggests passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 likely died from suffocation before the plane fell into the ocean.
According to an in-depth report by the ATSB, the cabin's oxygen is thought to have been depleted while the plane was still in flight, leading the board to conclude passengers died from hypoxia.
Search crews still haven't found the missing plane, which was scheduled to fly from Malaysia to Beijing. Because there are still so many unknowns surrounding the missing flight, the ATSB based its theory on similar crashes.
"Given these observations, the final stages of the unresponsive crew/ hypoxia event type appeared to best fit the available evidence for the final period of MH370’s flight when it was heading in a generally southerly direction." (Via ATSB)
This new theory comes as part of a refocused search based on evidence the plane was on autopilot while on its diverted course. (Via BBC)
"The new priority area is still focused on the same seventh arc in the southern Indian ocean ... We're now shifting our attention to an area further south along that arc." (Via Sky News)
"It is highly, highly likely that the aircraft was on autopilot, otherwise it could not have followed the orderly path that has been identified through the satellite sightings." (Via BBC)
It has been more than 100 days since the flight, carrying 239 people, disappeared. The new search is set to begin in August.
