KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysia's Parliament observed a minute of silence at its meeting on Tuesday (March 8) to mark the second anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia said the tragedy "is heart wrenching and hoped the next of kin of all the 239 people, including 50 Malaysians onboard, will be strong".

"We pray to the Almighty for their souls and hope the search mission (for the missing plane) is successful," he said.

The lawmakers then stood up and observed a minute of silence before Parliament continued with its daily agenda.

Prime Minister Najib Razak has said the Government remains hopeful that the plane will be found in the 120,000 sq km search area.

A wing fragment was discovered on Reunion Island last July, and later confirmed to be from MH370, the first proof that the plane went down.

Two new pieces of debris have been found in the past week, but it is not yet known if they are from MH370.