Officials: Malaysian Flight "Ended" In S. Indian Ocean

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Seventeen days after Malaysian Flight 370 went missing with 239 people on board, Malaysia's Prime Minister announced new data confirming the plane's last known location.

"It's a remote location far from any possible landing sites, it is therefore with deep regret I inform you that according to new data MS 370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean," said Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Despite Prime Minister Razak's announcement, no physical evidence or debris has been confirmed as wreckage from the plane.

However, Chinese and Australian search planes have now reported white debris, large debris (about 74ft long and about 43ft wide) found in the Indian Ocean west of Perth, Australia.

Malaysian flight 370 was supposed to be heading to Beijing on March 8th, but instead vanished from radar screens less than an hour after takeoff from the airport in Kuala Lumpur.

Investigators believe someone on board may have shut off the plane's communication systems.

Military radar tracking shows the plane turned west, off of its original flight path, suggesting it was under the control of a skilled pilot.

Investigators believe a hijacking or sabotage of some sort may have been the cause for the missing plane, but they have not ruled out technical problems.