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Malaysia Airlines 'loses contact with plane carrying 239 people' | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
China's state news agency is reporting that the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft lost contact over Vietnam. | |
Malaysia Airlines said it lost communication with a plane carrying 239 people on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and search and rescue teams were trying to locate the aircraft. | |
According to China's Xinhua News Agency, the plane lost communication over Vietnam with the control department in the Ho Chi Minh area at 1.20am local time and that radar contact also was lost. | |
The plane was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members. | |
Flight MH370 lost contact with the Subang air traffic control near Kuala Lumpur at 2.40am local time (18.40 GMT Friday). | |
The flight was operated on the Boeing 777-200 aircraft. It departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am local time (16:41 GMT Friday) and was expected to land in Beijing at 6:30am local time (22:30 GMT Friday). | |
The airline said it was working with authorities who activated their search and rescue team to locate the aircraft. The route would take the aircraft from Malaysia across to Vietnam and China. | |
"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 mobilise its full support," Malaysia Airlines chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said. | |
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members," he added. | |
Malaysia Airlines has 15 Boeing 777-200 jets in its fleet of about 100 planes. The state-owned carrier last month reported its fourth straight quarterly loss. | |
The 777 has not had a fatal crash in its 20 year history until the Asiana crash in San Francisco in July 2014. | |
PA | PA |