Scouring Madagascar beaches, desperate Chinese families search for MH370 clues and closure

It was a heartfelt journey before Christmas, a search for clues about loved ones who disappeared in a still unsolved mystery. The mission was a long shot, at best.

But for several families seeking answers over the fate of relatives who perished aboard flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, any effort is better than none.

Frustrated by a lack of progress in official investigations into the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, the Chinese and other families spent the past week in Madagascar, combing beaches.

Fragments identified with “near certainty” as coming from the aircraft were discovered in recent months on the coast of East Africa, prompting the unorthodox search.

Jiang Hui, a 44-year-old from China who lost his mother on the flight, has not given up hope of finding out why 239 people disappeared without a trace.

“When I first found debris on Wednesday, I was very excited... and very sad,” he said, after a day that was both physically and emotionally gruelling.