MH370 mystery may never be solved, says top Malaysian police officer

Malaysia's top police officer warned yesterday that the mystery behind the disappearance of flight MH370 may never be solved, as a global body representing airlines said all aircraft should be continuously tracked.

"Investigations may go on and on and on. We have to clear every little thing," Inspector General Khalid Abu Bakar admitted. "At the end of the investigations we may not ever know the real cause."

He said more than 170 interviews had been conducted and there were more in the pipeline. "We need to be thorough," he said.

His words will be of little comfort to the relatives of the 239 on board the Kuala Lumpur to Beijing flight, including the Chinese families.

The probe is well into its fourth week with police still checking the backgrounds and activities of the 12 crew members on board. The 227 passengers are no longer suspects.

Meanwhile, International Air Transport Association director general Tony Tyler, a former Cathay Pacific chief executive, urged the industry yesterday to introduce real-time monitoring of aircraft around the world.