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| Malaysia Airlines: Passengers with stolen passports increases terrorism concern as radar indicates plane may have U-turned before vanishing | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 jet turned back before it vanished, Malaysian military radar indicates, as belief that up to four passengers were travelling with stolen passports adds to concerns that terrorism may be responsible. | The missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 jet turned back before it vanished, Malaysian military radar indicates, as belief that up to four passengers were travelling with stolen passports adds to concerns that terrorism may be responsible. |
| Ground controllers lost contact with flight MH370 as it travelled somewhere between Malaysia and Vietnam early Saturday morning. | Ground controllers lost contact with flight MH370 as it travelled somewhere between Malaysia and Vietnam early Saturday morning. |
| It had left Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing around two hours earlier carrying 239 people. A massive international search has so far turned up no trace of the plane. | It had left Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing around two hours earlier carrying 239 people. A massive international search has so far turned up no trace of the plane. |
| The weather was fine, the plane was cruising at high altitude and the pilots send no distress signal before the plane disappeared - very unusual circumstances for a modern jetliner operated by a professional airline to crash, but that experts say would be consistent with an onboard explosion. | The weather was fine, the plane was cruising at high altitude and the pilots send no distress signal before the plane disappeared - very unusual circumstances for a modern jetliner operated by a professional airline to crash, but that experts say would be consistent with an onboard explosion. |
| Air force chief Rodzali Daud told a media conference: "The military radar indicated that the aircraft may have made a turn back and in some parts, this was corroborated by civilian radar." | Air force chief Rodzali Daud told a media conference: "The military radar indicated that the aircraft may have made a turn back and in some parts, this was corroborated by civilian radar." |
| He did not say in what direction the plane might have been heading or for how long for when it seemingly changed route. | He did not say in what direction the plane might have been heading or for how long for when it seemingly changed route. |
| Pilots are supposed to inform the airline and traffic control authorities if a plane does a U-turn, Malaysia Airlines Chief Executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya added. "From what we have, there was no such distress signal or distress call per se, so we are equally puzzled," he said. | Pilots are supposed to inform the airline and traffic control authorities if a plane does a U-turn, Malaysia Airlines Chief Executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya added. "From what we have, there was no such distress signal or distress call per se, so we are equally puzzled," he said. |
| At least two passengers appear to have boarded with stolen passports, the names on which the foreign ministries in Italy and Austria said matched two passports reported stolen in Thailand from citizens of the countries. | At least two passengers appear to have boarded with stolen passports, the names on which the foreign ministries in Italy and Austria said matched two passports reported stolen in Thailand from citizens of the countries. |
| Authorities are now looking at two more possible cases of suspicious identities, Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said, adding that Malaysian intelligence agencies were in contact with international counterparts, including the FBI. He gave no more details. | Authorities are now looking at two more possible cases of suspicious identities, Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said, adding that Malaysian intelligence agencies were in contact with international counterparts, including the FBI. He gave no more details. |
| The fraudulent documents strengthen existing concerns that terrorism could be the cause of the disappearance, aviation and terrorism experts said. | The fraudulent documents strengthen existing concerns that terrorism could be the cause of the disappearance, aviation and terrorism experts said. |
| Other scenarios, including some catastrophic failure of the engines or structure of the plane, extreme turbulence or pilot error or even suicide, were also possible, experts added. | |
| Jason Middleton, the head of the Sydney-based University of New South Wales' School of Aviation said: "You're looking at some highly unexpected thing, and the only ones people can think of are basically foul play, being either a bomb or some immediate incapacitating of the pilots by someone doing the wrong thing and that might lead to an airplane going straight into the ocean." | Jason Middleton, the head of the Sydney-based University of New South Wales' School of Aviation said: "You're looking at some highly unexpected thing, and the only ones people can think of are basically foul play, being either a bomb or some immediate incapacitating of the pilots by someone doing the wrong thing and that might lead to an airplane going straight into the ocean." |
| "With two stolen passports (on board), you'd have to suspect that that's one of the likely options." | "With two stolen passports (on board), you'd have to suspect that that's one of the likely options." |
| Just 9 percent of fatal accidents happen when a plane is at cruising altitude, according to a Boeing statistical summary of commercial jet accidents. | Just 9 percent of fatal accidents happen when a plane is at cruising altitude, according to a Boeing statistical summary of commercial jet accidents. |
| The plane was last inspected 10 days ago and found to be "in proper condition," Ignatius Ong, CEO of Malaysia Airlines subsidiary Firefly airlines, said at a news conference. | The plane was last inspected 10 days ago and found to be "in proper condition," Ignatius Ong, CEO of Malaysia Airlines subsidiary Firefly airlines, said at a news conference. |
| Malaysia Airlines has a good safety record, as does the 777, which had not had a fatal crash in its 19-year history until an Asiana Airlines plane crashed last July in San Francisco, killing three passengers. | Malaysia Airlines has a good safety record, as does the 777, which had not had a fatal crash in its 19-year history until an Asiana Airlines plane crashed last July in San Francisco, killing three passengers. |
| Greg Barton, a professor of international politics at Australia's Monash University and a terrorism expert, said if the disaster was the result of terrorism, there is no obvious suspect. | Greg Barton, a professor of international politics at Australia's Monash University and a terrorism expert, said if the disaster was the result of terrorism, there is no obvious suspect. |
| "If a group like that is behind it, then suddenly they've got a capacity that we didn't know they had before, they've executed it very well - that's very scary," Barton told AP. "It's safe to start with the assumption that that's not very likely, but possible." | "If a group like that is behind it, then suddenly they've got a capacity that we didn't know they had before, they've executed it very well - that's very scary," Barton told AP. "It's safe to start with the assumption that that's not very likely, but possible." |
| A total of 22 aircraft and 40 ships have been deployed to search for the aircraft by Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, China and the United States, not counting Vietnam's fleet. | A total of 22 aircraft and 40 ships have been deployed to search for the aircraft by Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, China and the United States, not counting Vietnam's fleet. |
| China's administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration said some debris had been spotted, but it was unclear whether it came from the plane. Vietnamese authorities said they had found nothing close to two large oil slicks spotted Saturday. | China's administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration said some debris had been spotted, but it was unclear whether it came from the plane. Vietnamese authorities said they had found nothing close to two large oil slicks spotted Saturday. |
| Finding traces of an aircraft that disappears over sea can take days or longer, even with a sustained search effort. Depending on circumstances of a crash, wreckages can be scattered over many square miles, or, if the plane did not break up before hitting the water, there can be hardly any debris at all. | Finding traces of an aircraft that disappears over sea can take days or longer, even with a sustained search effort. Depending on circumstances of a crash, wreckages can be scattered over many square miles, or, if the plane did not break up before hitting the water, there can be hardly any debris at all. |