MH370: Search for missing plane to be suspended

China, Malaysia and Australia had previously agreed to end the search in the southern Indian Ocean if no "credible new information" was found.

The plane, with 239 passengers and crew, disappeared in March 2014.

Many of their relatives have long pleaded with authorities for the search to continue until the plane is found.

The announcement came after a meeting of ministers from the three countries in Malaysia in which they acknowledged that with less than 10,000 square kilometres of the search area remaining "the likelihood of finding the aircraft is fading".

Almost 180m Australian dollars ($135m, £101m) has been spent on the search so far, making it the most expensive in aviation history.

The search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will be suspended if the plane is not found in the current search area, officials say.