11:42 pm
Chinese divers and salvagers sent by the Ministry of Transport are on their way to the sea area where the missing Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines jet is suspected to have fallen into.
There will be a press conference at Sama Sama Hotel at 9.00 am tomorrow by DCA.
The emergency team is expected to arrive inSanyacity of South China's Hainan province Sunday morning and get on board a vessel bound for the sea area.
10:00 pm
Malaysian civil aviation authorities have officially demanded Vietnam provide information on discovered oil stains, the Straits Times from Singapore twittered.
9:36 pm
A Vietnamese government statement said the slicks were spotted late Saturday off the southern tip of Vietnam and were each between 10 kilometers (6 miles) and 15 kilometers (9 miles) long. There was no confirmation that the slicks were related to the missing plane, but the statement said they were consistent with the kinds that would be produced by the two fuel tanks of a crashed jetliner.
8:57 pm
Aviation expert: "For MH370 flight to disappear for this considerable length of time is quite odd." （Wall Street Journal）
8:23 pm
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| A relative of a passenger onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cries at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing March 8, 2014. [Photo/Agencies] |
8:15 pm
By Saturday night, the country's major insurers had found more than 70 policy holders on the plane, with the insurance coverage expected to exceed 20 million yuan ($3.2 million).
7:44 pm
Vietnam says that a ship and aircraft have been deployed to search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
7:40 pm
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Saturday that no sign had yet been found of a missing Malaysia Airlines plane
7:33 pm
Malaysia prime minster Najib Razak said that the Vietnamese government has agreed to conduct a search and rescue in its waters. Singapore and the United States also agreed to assist with the effort.
7:25 pm
Premier Li Keqiang called Malaysia prime minster Najib Razak over the missing plane and urged Malaysian authorities to intensify the search and rescue efforts. Najib Razak expressed the deepest sympathy and solicitude to family members of Chinese passengers and promised an all-out effort.
Malaysia will also send a team to China to deal with the accident.
7:12 pm
The State Oceanic Administration said on its website that China Coast Guard ship No. 3411 was immediately dispatched to waters near the possible site of the air crash after receiving information and it was expected to arrive at the destination around Sunday afternoon.
5:28 pm
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Hangsheng met with Malaysian Charge d'affaires to China Bala Chandran Tharman and Vietnamese Ambassador to China Nguyen Van Tho Saturday afternoon over the missing Malaysian flight bound for Beijing with more than 150 Chinese on board.
5:12 pm
Malaysia Airlines updated its passenger list.
The passengers are from 14 different countries and regions. All crew on-board are Malaysians.
Please take note that the earlier statement did not include the number of Indian nationals. This was due to confusion between the country code of Indonesia and India.
The list comprises of 154 Chinese, 38 Malaysians, seven Indonesians, six Australians, five Indians, four Americans, three French, two New Zealanders, two Ukrainians, two Canadians, one Russian, one Italian, one Dutch and one Austrian.
5:00 pm
Wei Wei is a design architect who works for CF de. Studio in Malaysia.
"For MH370, the plane that lost contacted, I am too familiar with it. Because of my work, I have been taking the plane and shuttled between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing for three years," said Wei.
"I've heard about some air crash tragedies, but none of them is so real, painful, frightening and sad to me like this time. The same time, the same air routine and the same flight. It sounded that it could have happened just on me."
"Every time my friend or relative takes the flight back, I will get up earlier than usual to check whether they arrived safely. I can fully understand the heart-breaking feelings of the relatives and friends of those passengers on board. I am feeling terrible, sad, and even my body is shaking."
4:55 pm
Families and friends of onboard passengers open up to China Daily
"I was supposed to be on that plane," said Liu Hongwei. One of the passengers, Meng Gaosheng, vice president of China Calligrapher Association, is a good friend of his.
Meng and 23 Chinese artists went to Malaysia for an exchange program. As the leader of the delegation, Meng invited Liu.
"But I was too busy with my work," Liu. "I really wanted to go. If Meng insisted I would be going with him."
Liu said he felt terrible about the tragedy. News about the missing jet shocked him and gave him a shiver.
"It could be me," he said.
Li Junfeng, friend of Liu Rusheng, another artist on the plane, said if the plane crashed, he’d be losing a great friend and a business partner.
"I talked to Liu before he left to Malaysia about a cooperation," said Li. "Now I can only hope for the best."
4:51 pm
Families and friends of onboard open up to China Daily
"The whole family of my pretty and delightful neighbor was on that plane!" said Lu Jiang, 32-year-old Beijing resident. "I have seen her name and the name of her husband and her 1-year-old baby on the missing passenger's list. I never thought this would happen. God bless them!"
Lu told China Daily she and other people in her community are still holding onto their last hope, as deaths haven't been confirmed. "I saw her a couple of days ago at a neighbor's party. She smiled and was so happy," Lu said. "But now she and her whole family are on that plane."
4:48 pm
China, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia are intensifying search efforts for the missing plane. Malaysia mobilized its navy and air forces, Xinhua reported.
4:36 pm
The top three trending topics on Sina Weibo are all about the missing Malaysian flight, with China Central Television calling people to pray for those on board the plane. Xinhua also urged the public to respect for the privacy of distressed family members and friends by not publishing the graphic photos showing their sorrow.
4:27 pm
Background - Boeing 777-200
Notable 777 features include a unique fuselage cross section, Boeing's first application of fly-by-wire, an advanced technology glass flight deck with five liquid crystal displays, comparatively large scale use of composites (10 percent by weight), and advanced and extremely powerful engines.[More]
4:05 pm
Jennifer leong, 26, a Malaysian who works in an education consulting company in Beijing, took the same flight about three weeks ago and said that their flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing caught fire mid air. "We were so frightened and I remembered us praying so hard on the flight. It was a relieved and miracle that we landed safely and no one was injured."
4:03 pm
Chinese ships and aircraft are on standby to locate and rescue the missing Malaysian plane carrying more than 150 Chinese passengers en route to Beijing, Xinhua reported.
Yang Chuantang, Chinese Minister of Transport (MOT), announced the launch of the highest-degree emergency response mechanism.
3:58 pm
Liu Guohua, general manager of Malaysia Airlines in China, is surrounded by reporters at a press conference.
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| [Photo by Kuang Linhua/Asianewsphoto] |
3:54 pm
Early reports from local Southeast Asia news of found plane are in error. The search continues. Our deepest concerns remain with the families of those on board.
3:50 pm
Chinese leaders lament air disaster. Click here for China Daily's video report.
3:43 pm
Family members of passengers on the missing Malaysian flight are temporarily resettled at the Lido Hotel in Beijing, Xinhua reported.
2:40 pm
President Xi Jinping urged all-out efforts to deal with the Malaysian flight incident and aftermath.
2:30 pm
Malaysia Airlines released the 4th media statement on MH370 Flight Incident on its website. Full text below:
We regret to announce that Subang Traffic Control lost contact with flight MH370 at 2:40 am today.
We are currently working with international authorities on the search and rescue mission and as at 1400 hours, 08 March 2014, we have no information on the location of the airline.
MH370 is a Boeing 777-200 aircraft on a code share with China Southern Airlines.. It departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 am today for Beijing. The aircraft was scheduled to land at Beijing International Airport at 6.30am local Beijing time. The flight had a total number of 227 passengers and 12 crew members. The passengers were from 14 different countries, most of whom are from China.
Our team is currently calling family members of passengers to keep them updated on the situation and our focus now is to work with the emergency responders and the authorities. We are sending a MH team to support the families of passengers at Beijing. The airline will continue to publish regular updates on the situation.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all passengers, our crew and their family members.
Family members please call 03 8787 1269 or call 87871629.
Media: +603 8777 5698/ +603 8787 1276.
Public: +603 7884 1234
2:20 pm
Boeing offers its deepest concern to the families of those aboard missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.
Boeing is assembling a team to provide technical assistance to investigating authorities.2:00 pm
The Malaysia Airlines plane that went missing on Saturday morning with 239 people on board had crashed into waters off Vietnam's southern Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam's Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported, quoting Rear Admiral Ngo Van Phat, political commissar of the Fifth Naval Region.
12:10 pm
No signal had been picked up from a Malaysia Airlines Boeing B777-200 aircraft flight carrying 239 passengers and crew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, a Vietnamese rescue official said on Saturday, Reuters reported.
Vietnamese and Chinese media had reported that a signal from the plane had been picked up. The reports did not identify what kind of signal.
12:00 pm
The flight was piloted by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a Malaysian aged 53. He has a total flying hours of 18,365hours. He joined Malaysia Airlines in 1981. First officer, Fariq Ab.Hamid, a Malaysian, is aged 27. He has a total flying hours of 2,763 hours. He joined Malaysia Airlines in 2007.
11:40 am
The Malaysia Airlines just released a list of the passengers from 14 countries and regions.
The origins of the passengers break down like this:
154 Chinese, including one infant and 1 from China's Taiwan.
Malaysia 38
Indonesia 12
Australia 7
France 3
USA 3, plus one infant
New Zealand 2
Ukraine 2
Canada 2
Russia, Italy, Netherlands and Austria, all one each
This flight was a code share with China Southern Airlines.
11:20 am
A Vietnamese official of search and rescue said signal of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane has been detected, local media reported.
The official told local VNExpress that signal of the plane with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board has been detected at some 120 nautical miles southwest of Vietnam's southernmost Ca Mau province.
11:15 am
The Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya denied the rumors that the B777 has landed in Nanming, southwestern Guizhou province in China.
11:10 am
The Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya confirmed that the airline have lost all contacts with flight MH370.
"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their search-and-rescue teams to locate the aircraft," the statement said.
An official at the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) said the plane had failed to check in as scheduled at 1721 GMT while it was flying over the sea between Malaysia and Ho Chi Minh city.
11:00 am
China Maritime Search and Rescue Center said there is no accurate information to determine whether the flight entered the China air traffic control area. The emergency mechanism has been launched and the rescue force is standing by for any rescue. There is no updated news from related departments, according to the Salvage Bureau of the Ministry of Communications.
Malaysia Airlines held a press conference at the Lido Hotel in Beijing to provide updates on the missing aircraft.
10:47 am
China's Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC) confirmed the flight MH370 from Malaysia to Beijing has lost contact.
So far, the flight, which carries 239 people, including 12 crew members and 158 Chinese passengers, hasn't contacted Chinese air traffic management department or entered China's air traffic control area.
The flight lost contact and its radar signal at 01:20 am Saturday when flying over the Ho Chi Minh air traffic control area in Vietnam.
Previous reports said altogether 160 Chinese passengers were on board, but the figure has been changed. Two Chinese missed the flight and the accurate number is 158, according to the CAAC.
10:11 am
China is very worried over a Beijing-bound plane that has lost contact with air traffic control, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday.
"The news is very disturbing. We hope everyone on the plane is safe," said Wang.
He made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.
Wang said that China's Foreign Ministry and the related departments have activated emergency response mechanism.
9:55 am
The Malaysia Airlines released a statement on its website expressing their deeply regret. Full text below.
We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts with flight MH370 which departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 am earlier this morning bound for Beijing. The aircraft was scheduled to land at Beijing International Airport at 6.30am local Beijing time. Subang Air Traffic Control reported that it lost contact at 2.40am (local Malaysia time) today.
Flight MH370 was operated on a Boeing B777-200 aircraft. The flight was carrying a total number of 239 passengers and crew – comprising 227 passengers (including 2 infants), 12 crew members. The passengers were of 13 different nationalities. Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the 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. Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members. The airline will provide regular updates on the situation.
9:45 am
China is helping locate a Malaysia Airlines aircraft which has gone missing on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, Chinese state television said on one of its official microblog.
9:40 am
The jet was carrying about 7.5 hours of fuel and would likely have run out of fuel, Malaysia Airlines Vice President of Operations Control Fuad Sharuji told CNN.
9:35 am
CCTV said 158 Chinese nationals were onboard the flight, according to its official microblog.
The Chinese state television also reported there had not been any reports received yet about any aircraft crashed in Chinese waters.
9:33 am
Boeing said it was aware of reports that the Malaysia Airlines plane was missing and was monitoring the situation but had no further comment.
9:17 am
Radar contact with the flight was lost in airspace controlled by Vietnam in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The aircraft did not enter airspace controlled by China and did not make contact with Chinese controllers.
9:05 am
The airline said the flight had lost contact with Malaysian air traffic controllers at 2.40 a.m, just over two hours into the flight.
If the plane is found to have crashed, the loss would mark the second fatal accident involving a Boeing 777 in less than a year, after an unblemished safety record since the jet entered service in 1995.
Last summer, an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crash landed in San Francisco, killing three passengers.
8:59 am
KUALA LUMPUR - A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 227 passengers (including 2 infants) and 12 crew lost contact with air traffic controllers early on Saturday en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, the airliner said in a statement.
"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their search-and-rescue teams to locate the aircraft," it said.
Flight MH370, operating a B777-200 aircraft departed Kuala Lumpur at 12:41 am Saturday and had been expected to land in Beijing at 6.30 am the same day.
How to reach Malaysia Airlines
Beijing: 010-65052681
Shanghai: 021-23293999
Guangzhou: 020-83358868
Xiamen: 0592-2106088
Kunming: 0871-67085770
The public may contact +603 7884 1234. For media queries, kindly contact +603 8777 5698/ +603 8787 1276.
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