The search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 will be suspended if the plane is not found on completion of the current search. The news was announced in a joint statement from Malaysia, China and Australia. The aircraft disappeared in March 2014 during a flight from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. Since its disappearance, nearly $180 million ($135 million) has been spent on an underwater search spanning 120,000 square kilometers (46,332 square miles) in the southern Indian Ocean. "In the absence of new credible evidence, Malaysia, Australia and China have collectively agreed to suspend the search upon completion of the 120,000-km search," Malaysian transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said.