The Boeing 777 aircraft disappeared on March 8 last year, carrying 239 passengers and crew shortly after taking off from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing.
Authorities had originally planned to make the announcement in a hastily scheduled afternoon news conference, but abruptly cancelled the briefing after distraught next-of-kin rushed to the venue.
The Malaysia government's handling of the crisis has been severely criticised by suspicious relatives of the 239 missing passengers and crew.
Several next-of-kin, some holding placards calling for the return of their family members, arrived at the briefing location in the headquarters of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), furious about not being briefed before the news conference.
"The most frustrating thing is that they (were planning) an announcement to the world first, then only to the next of kin," said Wesley Walter, whose brother-in-law was on the flight.
"Why are the next of kin being treated this way?"
The DCA later said it was "not appropriate" to make the announcement in the presence of next-of-kin, but would not divulge the nature of the information.
Despite an ongoing Australian-led search of the supposed crash region - the most expensive search and rescue operation in history - not trace of the plane has yet been found.
International investigators are looking into why the Boeing jet veered thousands of miles off course from its scheduled route before eventually plunging into the Indian Ocean.
Malaysia is also conducting a criminal investigation.
Australian air force and Ocean Shield search for Flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean (AP).
"Both investigations are limited by the lack of physical evidence at this time, particularly the flight recorders," said Mr Azharuddin.
"Therefore, at this juncture, there is no evidence to substantiate any speculations as to the cause of the accident."
Some relatives bitterly accuse the Malaysian government and its flag carrier of a chaotic and bungled response to the plane's initial diversion that allowed the jet to disappear, and a subsequent cover-up - charges that are strenuously denied.
A Chinese Antarctic exploration team member aboard Chinese icebreaker Xuelong (ZHANGJIANSONG/XINHIA/PHOTOSHOT)
The DCA plans to release an interim report on the investigation into the missing jetliner on March 7, a day before the first anniversary of the disappearance, a minister said on Wednesday.
"This declaration is by no means the end," said Mr Azharuddin, adding that it will continue with the search for the missing plane with assistance from China and Australia.
Malaysia airline's crisis worsened on July 17 when its Flight MH17, on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1v8t2k6
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