A Malaysia Airlines bound for Beijing, China from Kuala Lumpur has gone missing on early Saturday morning, March 8, over the South China Sea.
Flight MH370, operated on the B777-200, was carrying 239 people (227 passengers including 2 infants and 12 crew members) on board and lost communication two hours into the flight over Vietnam's airspace at 1:20 a.m. (18:20 GMT, Friday).
The Malaysia Airlines departed from Kuala Lumpur at 12:41 a.m. Saturday (16:41 GMT, Friday). It was scheduled to land in Beijing at 6.30 a.m. on Saturday (22:30 GMT, Friday). The route would have taken the flight from Malaysia across Vietnam to its final destination in China.
Malaysia Airlines is currently working with authorities and rescue teams to locate the missing aircraft.
"Our team is currently calling the next-of-kin of passengers and crew. Focus of the airline is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilize its full support," said Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members."
"We're closely monitoring reports on Malaysia flight MH370. Our thoughts are with everyone on board," said Chicago-based Boeing, the manufacturer, in a statement via Twitter.
According to a statement posted on the official Vietnamese government website reveals that Flight MH370 disappeared over Vietnamese airspace.
"The plane lost contact in Ca Mau province airspace before it had entered contact with Ho Chi Minh City air traffic control," read the statement.
Apparently, the aircraft did not enter China's air traffic control space. Moreover, a spokeswoman with a Thai agency which monitors the country's airspace also revealed that Flight MH370 did not cross over Thailand.
At the Beijing airport, authorities have posted a notice asking friends and relatives of passengers to gather at a hotel near the airport for further information. The screens at the airport showed Flight MH370 as "delayed."
China has also stepped up the search operations and dispatched two maritime rescue ships to the South China Sea.
"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft," notes the airlines' statement on Facebook.
Malaysia Airlines has also provided a number for the public to get further information. If you have a friend or relative on the missing Flight MH370 contact +603 7884 1234.
Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that two passengers had boarded the flight using passports that were stolen. One was an Italian passport while the other was an Austrian passport. There are also reports that oil slicks have been traced in the ocean in the same area where contact with the Malaysia Airlines flight was lost.
Friends and relatives of the passengers of Flight MH370 are fearing the worst. Did the plane go down in a terrorist attack? Or did something else happen? Either way, hopes are dimming of finding the passengers alive.
