Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on March 8th and so did the 239 people on board. Two weeks have passed and there is still no sign of the airplane or its passengers.

As the search for the jetliner heads into its third week, some believe that it’s very possible the plane may never be seen again.

With mystery continuing to swirl around the circumstances of the jetliner’s disappearance, it is inevitable that it would prove to be a lighting rod for a number of conspiracy theories.

Was the plane hijacked by air pirates or terrorists? Did the plane crash into the ocean or in a remote jungle location? Did it fly low over fishermen in the early hours of March 8th or was it re-routed to Pakistan to be used in an attack?

These are in fact the mildest of conspiracy theories floating around the internet. Some are blaming the plane’s vanishing on a “Bermuda Triangle”-type incident while others think Flight 370 was spirited away by extraterrestrial beings.

Flight MH-370 – All the conspiracy theories in one place, examined: http://t.co/wGVszqE1CB

— Hasan Zaidi (@hyzaidi) March 19, 2014

This week Courtney Love thought she found #MH370. Debunk this and other conspiracy theories. http://t.co/Lav3oa7mdD

— Peter S. Greenberg (@PeterSGreenberg) March 23, 2014

I've been researching flight 370 conspiracy theories and it was obviously an alien abduction people

— Erica Burt (@ericaburt) March 18, 2014

Those closest to the passengers have made conspiracy accusations of their own. Family members grow increasingly distrustful of Malaysian Airlines and government officials. There have been numerous calls by relatives for these organizations to reveal the truth about what led to their loved ones’ disappearance.

The finger-pointing and endless theories make some wonder why some circumstances seem to generate so many wild conspiracy claims.

In reality, it has been the same with other missing flights: The lack of a definite explanation results in a void that is simply unbearable.

Something must have gone wrong. This is the only certainty after all this time. But it’s not enough to bring closure to so many anguished families and concerned observers.

In order to cope, individuals offer up what explanations seem logical to them.

For the family members, the truth is there but government authorities are cruelly hiding it from them.

Onlookers imagine many spectacular explanations to avoid believing that the Malaysia Airlines flight simply crashed and there are no survivors.

At least in the imaginations of many there is a reason to hope for the best, even after all this time.

Image via Wikimedia Commons