TO BE CONTINUED

"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," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced on March 24.

"This is the last thing we want to hear after 17 days' waiting," wrote a netizen.

These devastating words, however, did not put an end to search activities. A multinational search team, including Chinese ships and aircraft, promised "all-out search efforts" to sobbing relatives of those aboard the missing plane and a waiting world.

On April 4, Chinese ship Haixun 01 picked up a pulse signal at a frequency of 37.5 kHz, consistent with those emitted by flight recorders and re-detected the pings for 90 seconds the next day only 2 km away from the first detection.

On April 8, a month into the hunt, an Australian ship carrying U.S. sound detectors also detected underwater sounds consistent with pings from aircraft black boxes.

However, those hope-raising leads did not, as were wished, eventually lead to the location of the ill-fated plane or its black boxes.

"It is probably the most difficult search in human history," Prime Minister Abbott said, but "Australia will not rest until we have done everything we can."

This determination is shared by 25 other countries and the joint search continues.

ENLIGHTENMENT FOR HUMAN CIVILIZATION

The hunt for Flight MH370 and the truth behind its mysterious disappearance will be a long process.

However, people can learn something from the experience: In the face of challenges, the community of human destiny should better cooperate and move ahead.

The situation in which rescuers from different countries traveled day and night at the fastest possible speed to target areas to join search and rescue operations after the plane lost contact showed a great humanitarian spirit in meeting unprecedented difficulties.

The tragedy has left many mysteries as well as regrets: Could the coordination mechanism for international information sharing and cooperation have performed better in dealing with an emergency? Could some countries have acted more decisively and effectively? Could aircraft manufacturers and satellite organizations have shown more transparency and shared relevant data?

All in all, each action and every piece of information concerns the whereabouts of the 239 lives and the feelings of their families.

Today, it seems there is nothing impossible for human beings. Humans can even locate and land on different planets.

So it is mind-boggling the Boeing 777-200, one of the most modern and sophisticated planes in the world, could have disappeared, totally undetected by the most advanced civilian and military radars.

This serves as a reminder that humans are still vulnerable to unpredictable incidents and that the mechanism for international cooperation needs to be improved.

While the fate of Flight MH370 remains a mystery, the search process and the efforts to reflect on the incident may help humans find some solutions to the challenges they face.

The incident has spurred politicians, strategists and ordinary people to ponder such issues as what risks humans will face in the future, how they can work to secure their safety and welfare, and how they can collectively address global challenges.

Every catastrophe is a monument in human history, recording both painful lessons and the best of human nature. The loss of lives is excruciating for those alive, who shoulder the responsibility to brave disasters and unpredictable events.

"We're all grateful that we know as much as we do these days, and enjoy lives that are safer, longer, healthier and better connected than those of any generation before ours. Yet each day that passes, Malaysia (Airlines)370 keeps hovering like a terrible blank in our minds, more visible the longer it's out of our view," said Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist and psychologist.

The tragic end of Flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean should also be a revelatory start for the progress of human civilization.