Live report on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

(chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2014-03-11 23:15

Day 3

22:35 March 10

China is making every effort to find the Malaysian Airlines jet, Flight MH370, which has been missing since early Saturday morning along with more than 150 Chinese passengers, officials said on Monday.

Missile frigate Mianyang from the South Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army navy is searching for signs of survivors, having arrived at the suspected crash site at 3:50 am on Monday, three hours earlier than expected, according to a statement released by the navy.

The ship has been using all of its detection apparatus in the hunt for the missing aircraft, including optical instruments to search for floating debris.

21:45 March 10

Beijing will provide legal aid for relatives of passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, said government authorities on Monday.

Beijing has paid for psychological counselling, emergency rescue services, as well as a "green channel" for passport applications. The government has also ensured their accommodation, travel costs and other services, he said.

21:15 March 10

Malaysia's authorities confirmed on Monday that the two passengers boarding on the missing Malaysia Airlines plane with false passports are not with Asian appearance.

19:35 March 10

A Chinese search vessel is expected to arrive by 20:00 Beijing time Monday at the site where a Malaysian aircraft carrying 12 crew members and 227 passengers, including 154 Chinese, lost contact early on Saturday.

The vessel was within 70 nautical miles from the site at 16:00, captain Peng Jianbo told Xinhua by satellite phone.

The vessel is equipped with searchlights, search radar and night vision goggles and is capable of search and rescue at night.

19:30 March 10

China's Xi'an Satellite Control Center said 10 of its satellites will provide technical support for the search and rescue operation for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight.

18:55 March 10

Tests on a sample of the oil slick found off the Kelantan coast reveal that it was not from the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight, according to the local media.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Eastern Region chief Datuk Nasir Adam revealed test results showed that the samples were actually from a ship.

17:00 March 10

The floating object was not a lifeboat, said Vietnamese rescue and search team. (Reuters)

16:13 March 10

Vietnam is sending aircraft to check up if a lifeboat-like flating object found at sea coms from the missing Maylasian Airlines jet.

15:30 March 10

China's Coast Guard claimed it found a 20km long, 200m wide oil slick.

Chinese maritime vessel, China Coast Guard 3411, has been engaged in search and rescue of the missing Malaysian plane in waters around the suspected accident location since Sunday afternoon.

15:25 March 10

Liu Zhi, a senior Beijing municipal official, said both the central and municipal governments have launched an emergency mechanism and they will “not allow any lapses”. He also said the authorities will set up information centers at the hotels where relatives of passengers are waiting for news about their loved ones, and they also aim to hire lawyers and provide medical and counseling services for the relatives.

14:41 March 10

Zhai Leiming, director-general of the Department of Consular Affairs of China's Foreign Ministry, said that a close friend of his is among the passengers on the missing Malaysia Airline jetliner. Zhai also told the family members at the Lido Hotel in Beijing on Monday afternoon that he shares the pain with them.

14:00 March 10

Vietnam allowed Chinese and US vessels to enter its waters to search for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight, said Vietnam's National Committee for Search and Rescue Monday.

According to the committee, three Chinese vessels and one US vessel were licensed by the Vietnamese defense ministry.

13:27 March 10

A Malaysian official said Monday that no confirmed debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane has been found yet.

"Unfortunately ... we have not found anything that appears to be objects from the aircraft, let alone the aircraft itself," Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director general of the Department of Civil Aviation, said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

12:35 pm March 10

Hijacking could not be ruled out and all possibilities were being investigated into the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines jet, the chief Malaysian investigator said on Monday, Reuters reported.

The investigator said Vietnamese authorities have not confirmed sighting any debris from the plane.

12:24 pm March 10

Malaysia Airlines will fly family members of Chinese passengers to Kuala Lumpur and accommodate them in hotels around the capital city of Malaysia, said the company at a press conference on Monday.

12:07 pm March 10

Malaysia Airlines is holding a news conference in Kuala Lumpur now.

12:07 pm March 10

First family member of a passenger on board the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner will arrive in Kuala Lumpur on Monday afternoon, according to Chinese Embassy in Malaysia. (people.com.cn)

11:10 March 10

Malaysia Airlines issued its 9th statement.

The company is still not able to establish any positive findings on the whereabouts of the aircraft, according to the statement.

The airline will cover the expenses of transporting family members of passengers to Malaysia, saying "the company's primary focus at this point it to care for the families."

The company will provide them with "timely information, travel facilities, accommodation, meals, medical and emotional support." All the costs are borne by Malaysia Airlines, said the company.

Live report on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

10:43 March 10

Malaysian Airline System Bhd's (MAS) share price sinks to a record low in early trading on Monday, as the search for its missing MH370 jet bound for Beijing continues into its third day. The shares tumbled 16 per cent after the FBM KLCI - Malaysia,s stock exchange - opened at 9am, Straits Times reported.

09:50 March 10

Vietnamese aircraft spotted what they suspected was one of the doors of a missing Boeing 777 on Sunday, while questions emerged about how two passengers managed to board the ill-fated aircraft using stolen passports, AP reported.

09:05 March 10

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.

08:40 March 10

Officials investigating the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines jetliner with 239 people on board suspect it may have disintegrated in mid-flight, a senior source said on Sunday, as Vietnam reported a possible sighting of wreckage from the plane.

02:05 March 10

The Chinese government will send a working group later Monday morning to Malaysia for handling the aftermath of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight.

The group is scheduled to leave Beijing on March 10 morning and arrive in the country later the same day.

According to the website of China's Foreign Ministry, the group is composed of officials with the foreign ministry, ministry of public security, transport ministry and civil aviation administration.

It aims to coordinate with Chinese Embassy in Malaysia to handle the relevant issues, including urging the Malaysian side to speed up search and rescue mission, investigating the incident and helping the family members already in Malaysia.