Malaysia Ready to Re-open Probe of Missing MH370 if New Evidence Emerges

A family member of passengers and crew on board the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 write on a memorial wall during a remembrance event marking the 10th anniversary of its disappearance at the Empire Subang in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, 03 March 2024. EPA/NAZRI MOHAMAD
A family member of passengers and crew on board the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 write on a memorial wall during a remembrance event marking the 10th anniversary of its disappearance at the Empire Subang in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, 03 March 2024. EPA/NAZRI MOHAMAD
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Malaysia Ready to Re-open Probe of Missing MH370 if New Evidence Emerges

A family member of passengers and crew on board the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 write on a memorial wall during a remembrance event marking the 10th anniversary of its disappearance at the Empire Subang in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, 03 March 2024. EPA/NAZRI MOHAMAD
A family member of passengers and crew on board the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 write on a memorial wall during a remembrance event marking the 10th anniversary of its disappearance at the Empire Subang in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, 03 March 2024. EPA/NAZRI MOHAMAD

Malaysia is willing to re-open an investigation into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines MH370 in 2014, if there is compelling new evidence, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday.

About 500 relatives of passengers on the plane, gathered Sunday near the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, demanding a new search.

They lit 239 candles, one for each passenger lost on the flight.

Some relatives came from China, where almost two-thirds of the passengers of the doomed plane were from.

Malaysia, along with Australia and China, ended in January 2017 a fruitless two-year, $130-million underwater hunt for the Boeing 777 that vanished en route to Beijing from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014.

"We have taken the position that if there is a compelling case, evidence that it needs to be re-opened, we're certainly happy to re-open," Anwar told a press conference in Melbourne.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a summit of Australia and the ASEAN grouping of Southeast Asian nations.
"Whatever needs to be done must be done."



Iran Says Fire Contained after Deadly Blast at Key Port

A handout photo made available by the Iranian Red Crescent Society official channel shows a helicopter spraying water at the Rajaie port in the city of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, 27 April 2025 (issued 28 April 2025). (EPA/ Iranian Red Crescent Society/ Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Iranian Red Crescent Society official channel shows a helicopter spraying water at the Rajaie port in the city of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, 27 April 2025 (issued 28 April 2025). (EPA/ Iranian Red Crescent Society/ Handout)
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Iran Says Fire Contained after Deadly Blast at Key Port

A handout photo made available by the Iranian Red Crescent Society official channel shows a helicopter spraying water at the Rajaie port in the city of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, 27 April 2025 (issued 28 April 2025). (EPA/ Iranian Red Crescent Society/ Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Iranian Red Crescent Society official channel shows a helicopter spraying water at the Rajaie port in the city of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, 27 April 2025 (issued 28 April 2025). (EPA/ Iranian Red Crescent Society/ Handout)

Firefighters have brought under control a blaze at Iran's main port, following a deadly explosion blamed on negligence, authorities said.

The explosion, heard dozens of kilometers (miles) away, hit a dock at the southern port of Shahid Rajaee on Saturday.

At least 70 people were killed and more than 1,000 others suffered injuries in the blast and ensuing fire, which also caused extensive damage, state media reported.

Red Crescent official Mokhtar Salahshour told the channel late Monday that the fire had been "contained" and a clean-up was under way.

State television aired live footage on Tuesday showing thick smoke rising from stacked containers.

Iran's ILNA news agency quoted Hossein Zafari, spokesman for the country's crisis management organization, as saying the situation had improved significantly since Monday.

However, "the operation and complete extinguishing process may take around 15 to 20 days", the agency reported.

Iran's customs authority said port operations had returned to normal, according to the IRNA news agency.

The port of Shahid Rajaee lies near the major coastal city of Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes.

Hormozgan provincial governor Mohammad Ashouri ruled out sabotage.

"The set of hypotheses and investigations carried out during the process indicated that the sabotage theory lacks basis or relevance," he told state television late Monday.

The port´s customs office said the blast may have started in a depot storing hazardous and chemical materials.

Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said there were "shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence".

A committee assigned to investigate the blast cited similar factors as the likely cause.