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| Malaysia Airlines plane vanishes over South China Sea; Vietnamese reportedly spot oil slicks | Malaysia Airlines plane vanishes over South China Sea; Vietnamese reportedly spot oil slicks |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| BEIJING — A Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared from the sky is presumed to have crashed in the Gulf of Thailand off Vietnam with 239 people aboard, including two who appear to have been traveling with false identification. | BEIJING — A Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared from the sky is presumed to have crashed in the Gulf of Thailand off Vietnam with 239 people aboard, including two who appear to have been traveling with false identification. |
| That fact led to speculation about terrorism and added to the mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, a red-eye carrying passengers from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing that vanished from radar after midnight Saturday (Friday afternoon EST). | That fact led to speculation about terrorism and added to the mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, a red-eye carrying passengers from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing that vanished from radar after midnight Saturday (Friday afternoon EST). |
| The Vietnamese government said in a statement that two oil slicks spotted off the southern tip of the country were between six and nine miles long and were consistent with the kinds that would be left by fuel from a crashed jet, according to the Associated Press. | The Vietnamese government said in a statement that two oil slicks spotted off the southern tip of the country were between six and nine miles long and were consistent with the kinds that would be left by fuel from a crashed jet, according to the Associated Press. |
| But after 24 hours, the airline posted a notice saying it still had no idea of the whereabouts of the Boeing 777-200 aircraft. | But after 24 hours, the airline posted a notice saying it still had no idea of the whereabouts of the Boeing 777-200 aircraft. |
| “An international search and rescue mission from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam was mobilized this morning,” the airline said in a statement. “At this stage, they have failed to find evidence of any wreckage.” | “An international search and rescue mission from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam was mobilized this morning,” the airline said in a statement. “At this stage, they have failed to find evidence of any wreckage.” |
| There was no distress signal from the plane’s pilots, and crashes usually happen during take-off and landing. That heightened concerns about reports that two men listed on the airline’s manifest of passengers were never on the flight. | There was no distress signal from the plane’s pilots, and crashes usually happen during take-off and landing. That heightened concerns about reports that two men listed on the airline’s manifest of passengers were never on the flight. |
| The men, one from Italy and the other from Austria, had both reported to authorities that their passports had gone missing in Thailand and were believed to have been stolen. | The men, one from Italy and the other from Austria, had both reported to authorities that their passports had gone missing in Thailand and were believed to have been stolen. |
| Asked whether terrorism was suspected in the plane’s disappearance, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said authorities were “looking at all possibilities, but it is too early to make any conclusive remarks.” | Asked whether terrorism was suspected in the plane’s disappearance, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said authorities were “looking at all possibilities, but it is too early to make any conclusive remarks.” |
| U.S. officials said the cause of the crash remained unclear but that intelligence agencies were examining the possibility of any terrorist connection. | U.S. officials said the cause of the crash remained unclear but that intelligence agencies were examining the possibility of any terrorist connection. |
| There were passengers from 14 countries aboard, including three Americans, according to the manifest posted on the airline’s Web site. They were identified as Philip Wood, 51, an IBM employee working in Malaysia; 4-year-old Nicole Meng and 2-year-old Yan Zhang. | There were passengers from 14 countries aboard, including three Americans, according to the manifest posted on the airline’s Web site. They were identified as Philip Wood, 51, an IBM employee working in Malaysia; 4-year-old Nicole Meng and 2-year-old Yan Zhang. |
| In a brief interview, Wood’s mother, Sondra Wood, of Keller, Tex., said she received a call from the American embassy in Malaysia. Her son had just been in Texas visiting her and her husband, she said, and she knew he’d be on the Malaysia Airlines flight. | In a brief interview, Wood’s mother, Sondra Wood, of Keller, Tex., said she received a call from the American embassy in Malaysia. Her son had just been in Texas visiting her and her husband, she said, and she knew he’d be on the Malaysia Airlines flight. |
| “He was a wonderful person and very intelligent,” she said. “I could talk forever about him. He’s my son, and any mother would be proud of their son.” | “He was a wonderful person and very intelligent,” she said. “I could talk forever about him. He’s my son, and any mother would be proud of their son.” |
| Aside from his work at IBM, Sondra Wood said, her son loved building furniture. “He was very artistic,” she said. Phil Wood has two sons, ages 20 and 24, his mother said. | Aside from his work at IBM, Sondra Wood said, her son loved building furniture. “He was very artistic,” she said. Phil Wood has two sons, ages 20 and 24, his mother said. |
| Search and rescue vessels and planes from Southeast Asia have been scouring the waters in that part of the South China Sea, and Razak said “the search and rescue operations will continue as long as necessary.” | Search and rescue vessels and planes from Southeast Asia have been scouring the waters in that part of the South China Sea, and Razak said “the search and rescue operations will continue as long as necessary.” |
| Ships and aircraft from Malaysia and Vietnam were leading the search, officials said. The United States, the Philippines and Singapore sent planes to help, while vessels were dispatched from the Philippines and China, wire services reported. Vietnamese fishermen were also put on alert. | Ships and aircraft from Malaysia and Vietnam were leading the search, officials said. The United States, the Philippines and Singapore sent planes to help, while vessels were dispatched from the Philippines and China, wire services reported. Vietnamese fishermen were also put on alert. |
| U.S. Seventh Fleet officials said in a statement that the USS Pinckney, a guided-missile destroyer, and a P-3C Orion aircraft were being sent to help in the search. | U.S. Seventh Fleet officials said in a statement that the USS Pinckney, a guided-missile destroyer, and a P-3C Orion aircraft were being sent to help in the search. |
| Meanwhile, there were questions about the identities of two of the passengers on board after evidence emerged that they could have been traveling with stolen passports. | Meanwhile, there were questions about the identities of two of the passengers on board after evidence emerged that they could have been traveling with stolen passports. |
| Italian media had initially listed Luigi Maraldi among the passengers. But the 37-year-old reportedly phoned his parents on Saturday to say he was safe in Thailand. His passport had been stolen there last year, he said, and he was later issued new documents. | Italian media had initially listed Luigi Maraldi among the passengers. But the 37-year-old reportedly phoned his parents on Saturday to say he was safe in Thailand. His passport had been stolen there last year, he said, and he was later issued new documents. |
| “One hypothesis therefore is that he was listed because someone boarded the plane using his stolen passport,” the Corriere della Serra reported. | “One hypothesis therefore is that he was listed because someone boarded the plane using his stolen passport,” the Corriere della Serra reported. |
| Similarly, Austrian media reported that an Austrian citizen had been listed as among the passengers but had been found to be safe. His passport had been stolen in Thailand two years before, the Austrian foreign ministry said. | Similarly, Austrian media reported that an Austrian citizen had been listed as among the passengers but had been found to be safe. His passport had been stolen in Thailand two years before, the Austrian foreign ministry said. |
| Flight MH370 lost contact with Malaysia air traffic control at 1:20 a.m. Saturday (12:20 p.m. EST Friday), less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur and as it was completing its ascent. It vanished on the borders of the territorial waters of Malaysia and Vietnam, where the Gulf of Thailand meets the South China Sea. It had been due to land at Beijing at 6:30 a.m. (5:30 p.m. EST Friday). | Flight MH370 lost contact with Malaysia air traffic control at 1:20 a.m. Saturday (12:20 p.m. EST Friday), less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur and as it was completing its ascent. It vanished on the borders of the territorial waters of Malaysia and Vietnam, where the Gulf of Thailand meets the South China Sea. It had been due to land at Beijing at 6:30 a.m. (5:30 p.m. EST Friday). |
| In Beijing, relatives and friends of those on board were taken by minibus from the airport to a hotel in the city to wait for news. Grief was mixed with anger at the lack of information, with Malaysia Airlines insisting it was still investigating the incident but not yet releasing the passenger manifest. Earlier it had cited speculation that the plane might have landed in Vietnam, although this was later denied. | In Beijing, relatives and friends of those on board were taken by minibus from the airport to a hotel in the city to wait for news. Grief was mixed with anger at the lack of information, with Malaysia Airlines insisting it was still investigating the incident but not yet releasing the passenger manifest. Earlier it had cited speculation that the plane might have landed in Vietnam, although this was later denied. |
| Malaysia Airlines said it had sent a team from Malaysia to the hotel in Beijing to look after the relatives. It said it would pay for immediate family members of passengers to gather at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport | Malaysia Airlines said it had sent a team from Malaysia to the hotel in Beijing to look after the relatives. It said it would pay for immediate family members of passengers to gather at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport |
| The plane’s sudden disappearance, without calling for help brought back memories of an Air France flight that disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1, 2009. | The plane’s sudden disappearance, without calling for help brought back memories of an Air France flight that disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1, 2009. |
| While some wreckage and bodies were found in subsequent weeks, it took nearly two years for the main wreckage and the plane’s black box flight recorders to be recovered. The final report said that pilot errors in responding to technical problems led to the crash. | |
| “We are doing everything in our power to locate the plane. We are doing everything we can to ensure every possible angle has been addressed,” Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters near the Kuala Lumpur airport, according to Reuters. “We are looking for accurate information from the Malaysian military. They are waiting for information from the Vietnamese side.” | “We are doing everything in our power to locate the plane. We are doing everything we can to ensure every possible angle has been addressed,” Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters near the Kuala Lumpur airport, according to Reuters. “We are looking for accurate information from the Malaysian military. They are waiting for information from the Vietnamese side.” |
| There were no reports of bad weather in the area. | There were no reports of bad weather in the area. |
| The South China Sea is a tense region of competing territorial claims among a number of countries, but the plane disappeared well away from the disputed waters, and countries in the region appeared to put aside their differences in their search for the plane. | The South China Sea is a tense region of competing territorial claims among a number of countries, but the plane disappeared well away from the disputed waters, and countries in the region appeared to put aside their differences in their search for the plane. |
| “In times of emergencies like this, we have to show unity of efforts that transcends boundaries and issues,” said Lt. Gen. Roy Deveraturda, commander of the Philippine military’s Western Command, according to AP. | “In times of emergencies like this, we have to show unity of efforts that transcends boundaries and issues,” said Lt. Gen. Roy Deveraturda, commander of the Philippine military’s Western Command, according to AP. |
| Barnes reported from Washington. Liu Liu, Gu Jinglu and Xu Jing in Beijing and Karen DeYoung and Ian R. Shapira in Washington also contributed to this report. | Barnes reported from Washington. Liu Liu, Gu Jinglu and Xu Jing in Beijing and Karen DeYoung and Ian R. Shapira in Washington also contributed to this report. |