Vietnam to widen search as no meaningful clues found so far

HO CHI MINH CITY - The Vietnamese search teams have so far been unable to confirm what the media in Singapore and other countries described as fallout or wreckage from the missing Malaysian jet liner and will further widen their search.

This was the main message given by Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Transportation Pham Quy Tieu at a latest press conference Monday evening at Phu Quoc Island, where a command post had been set up to guide the search and rescue effort to look for the missing aircraft.

The minister said the multinational search efforts have so far failed to make any meaningful findings, and the Vietnamese teams would discuss widening their search with the provincial authorities of Kien Giang Tuesday morning.

A multinational serach effort is under way in waters off the Vietnamese coast, which involves 34 aircraft and 40 ships from China, Malyasia, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.

A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 227 passengers, including 154 Chinese and 12 crew went missing in area near the South China Sea on Saturday as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.