Malaysia said Monday the passenger jet which went missing more than two weeks ago crashed in the Indian Ocean, but shed no light on the mystery of why it veered from its intended course.

Malaysia said Monday the passenger jet which went missing more than two weeks ago crashed in the Indian Ocean, but shed no light on the mystery of why it veered from its intended course.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said new satellite analysis of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370's path placed its last position in remote waters off Australia's west coast, and far from any landing sites.

The somber announcement on the fate of the plane ended 17 days of agonizing uncertainty for relatives of those on board -- two thirds of them Chinese.

"It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean," Najib said.

He said the flag carrier had already spoken to the families of the passengers and crew aboard the jet which disappeared on March 8 on an overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

"For them, the past few weeks have been heartbreaking; I know this news must be harder still."  

Najib said he had been briefed by representatives from Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch, which relayed further analysis of satellite data by British company Inmarsat.