Flight MH370 bound for Beijing goes missing

SEPANG: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) confirms that flight MH370 is missing. MAS says Subang Air Traffic Control lost contact with the aircraft at 2.40am, Saturday. In a statement issued by the airline, flight MH370, operated on the B777-200 aircraft, departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am on 8 March 2014. It was expected to land in Beijing at 6.30am the same day. The flight was carrying 227 passengers (including 2 infants) and 12 crewmembers. Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft. Malaysian Airlines vice president of operations, Fuad Sharuji during an interview with CNN said that the aircraft should have run out of fuel by 8.30am Saturday morning as it only had seven hours of fuel on board. In the interview with Anderson Cooper, Fuad explained that the flight which departed 41 minutes after midnight from Kuala Lumpur was supposed to have arrived in Beijing at 6.20am. “However the plane carrying 239 passengers, of which 227 were passengers while 12 were crew members lost contact with the Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am. “We have tried to track the flight down by getting in touch with nearby aircrafts and other radars along the route, but there is no luck as of now,” he said. A report by CCTV news said 160 out of the 227 passengers were Chinese nationals and that China authorities are also in the process of searching for the missing flight. MAS will provide regular updates on the situation. The public may contact +603 7884 1234 for further information.

MH370 Updates

UPDATE [3:03pm]: At KLIA, the brother of a passenger says relatives are being told to bring a valid passport because they need to 'travel to the crash site'. Relatives have to be at KLIA before 6pm with valid passports for MAS to make 'travel arrangements'. Police are escorting grief-stricken relatives out of the holding room. Many are distraught and in tears. UPDATE [2:36pm]: Malaysian Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein denies reports that signal from aircraft has been received in the south of Vietnam. He says the government has no information of any wreckage at the moment, but 'are looking at all possibilities'. The Malaysian government has dispatched a plane, two helicopters and four vessels to search seas off its east coast in the South China Sea. The Philippines also sends three navy patrol boats and a surveillance plane. AFP, in its live report, has several airline safety experts speaking about Malaysia Airlines' safety record. Read it here. Malaysia Airlines says all other flights will proceed as usual, for now. UPDATE [2:13pm]: MH370 has been removed from the arrivals board at the Beijing airport. Local media report that the passengers included 24 Chinese artists on their way back from an art exhibition in Malaysia. UPDATE [2:06pm]: Members of the media have been barred from entering a special holding area for families of passegers and crew of flight MH370 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Meanwhile, politician Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin is being slammed for an insensitive tweet about a 'new Bermuda triangle'. UPDATE [12:37]: Tuoi Tre, a leading daily in Vietnam, reports that the Vietnamese Navy has confirmed the plane crashed into the ocean. According to Navy Admiral Ngo Van Phat, Commander of the Region 5, military radar recorded that the plane crashed into the sea at a location 153 miles South of Phu Quoc island. Full story here. When contacted, Malaysia Airlines declined to confirm or deny the reports, saying that the Malaysian authorities are working together with the Vietnamese government on the matter. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reports that China has dispatched two maritime rescue ships to help locate the missing plane. UPDATE [12:01]: Altogether, 239 passengers & crew, from 14 different nationalities, including two infants. Passengers were from: 1. China - 152 plus 1 infant 2. Malaysia - 38 3. Indonesia - 12 4. Australia - 7 5. France - 3 6. United States of America - 3 plus 1 infant 7. New Zealand - 2 8. Ukraine - 2 9. Canada - 2 10. Russia - 1 11. Italy - 1 12. Taiwan - 1 13. Netherlands - 1 14. Austria - 1 The flight was piloted by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a Malaysian aged 53. He has a total flying hours of 18,365 hours. He joined Malaysia Airlines in 1981. First officer, Fariq Ab.Hamid, a Malaysian, is aged 27. He has a total flying hours of 2,763 hours. He joined Malaysia Airlines in 2007. UPDATE [11:32am]: VN Express, Vietnam's largest news site, reports that Vietnam Emergency Rescue Center just announced it has found signal of the missing plane at 9.50am 120 miles South West of Ca Mau cape, the Southern-most point of Vietnam. The signal is believed to be the ELT (Emergency Locator Transmittor) , which can be activated manually by the flight crew or automatically upon impact. A Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China has gone missing, the airline said. Earlier this morning, MAS confirmed that flight MH370 had lost contact with the Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am today (March 8th, 2014) Flight MH370, operated on the B777-200 aircraft, departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am and was expected to land in Beijing at 6.30am the same day. The flight was carrying a total number of 227 passengers (including 2 infants), 12 crew members. Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft. Speaking on CNN's AC360, MAS Operations Control Vice President Fuad Sharuji said they 'have no idea where the aircraft is right now'. ALSO READ: Malaysia Airlines hunts for missing plane carrying 239 #PrayForMH370: Concern over MAS flight floods cyberspace "We tried to call this aircraft through various means," he was quoted as saying. Sharuji told CNN that the aircraft was carrying 7.5 hours of fuel at the time of its disappearance (2.40am). CNN also spoke to retired American Airlines Capt. Jim Tilmon who said the route taken by the aircraft had plenty of antennae, radar and radios for contact and that the plane was 'as sophisticated as any commercial airplane could possibly be with an excellent safety record'. Journalists attempt to interview a woman who is the relative of a passenger on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, as she crouches on the floor crying, at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing March 8, 2014. The Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew lost contact with air traffic controllers early on Saturday en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, the airline said in a statement. Flight MH 370, operating a Boeing B777-200 aircraft departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.21 a.m. (1621 GMT Friday) and had been expected to land in the Chinese capital at 6.30 a.m. (2230 GMT) the same day. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon (CHINA - Tags: TRANSPORT DISASTER MEDIA) less Editors's note: The public may contact +603 7884 1234. Next-of-kin may head to the Support Facility Building at KLIA's South Support Zone. For directions, call 03 8787 1269. 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MAS CEO: Airline contacting passengers’ families

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya (pic) in a statement on Saturday said the airline has already started contacting the families of the passengers and crew to keep them updated. “We deeply regret that we have lost all contact with flight MH370 which departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 am earlier this morning bound for Beijing. “The passengers on board were of 13 different nationalities and we have started contacting their families,” he said. Ahmad Jauhari said MAS is currently working with authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft. “The focus of the airline is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilise its full support and the airline will provide regular updates on the situation. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members,” he added. The public may contact +603 7884 1234. For media queries, kindly contact +603 8777 5698/ +603 8787 1276. Earlier on Saturday, Malaysian Airlines confirmed that flight MH370 which was to arrive in Beijing at 6.30am on Saturday morning was reported to have lost all contact with the Subang Air Traffic Control at around 2.40am. Email Facebook 365 0% Happy 0% Inspired 0% Amused 100% Sad 0% Angry 0% Annoyed advertisement Most ViewedMost Shared1.Flight MH370 bound for Beijing goes missing 2.Netizens share prayers for MH370 3.Courtroom full of tension as Anwar is pronounced guilty 4.300,000 more households go dry 5.Radar contact lost with Malaysian flight in Vietnam airspace 6.Kajang by elections: Game over for Anwar in Kajang 7.Kajang by-election: Anwar can’t contest, says Karpal 8.Anwar: I can’t contest but 'Kajang move' still on 9.Anwar guilty of sodomy 10.Anwar’s supporters cause ruckus 0.Radar contact lost with Malaysian flight in Vietnam airspace0.Flight MH370 bound for Beijing goes missing0.Anwar jailed five years, allowed bail0.Complete list of areas affected by water rationing0.Additional 290,865 households to be affected by phase 3 of water rationing0.Anwar guilty of sodomy0.Use of ‘Allah’ in Ultraman comic main reason for ban0.Home Ministry bans Ultraman book0.Gallows for maid abusers0.Home Ministry bans publication of ‘Ultraman The Ultra Power’ over usage of "Allah" Related StoriesLatest News Charting the future with management accounting Ukraine standoff intensifies; Russia says sanctions will 'boomerang' MAS CEO: Airline contacting passengers’ families IGP: Police ready for large-scale search and rescue for MAS flight Netizens share prayers for MH370 China not received reports of crashed plane in Chinese waters-TV Radar contact lost with Malaysian flight in Vietnam airspace Flight MH370 bound for Beijing goes missing Ted Turner rushed to clinic in Argentina with appendicitis - media Obama phoned Merkel on Friday to discuss Ukraine situation -White House Greece, lenders will miss March 10 deadline for rescue loan deal - sources Show More NationBusinessWorldSportMAS CEO: Airline contacting passengers’ families IGP: Police ready for large-scale search and rescue for MAS flight Netizens share prayers for MH370 Radar contact lost with Malaysian flight in Vietnam airspace Flight MH370 bound for Beijing goes missing Genting bets on Sri Lanka?Court decision rattles bond marketExport growth up on weaker ringgit How to be a multi-millionaire - version 3.0Why companies drive away their talents Ukraine standoff intensifies; Russia says sanctions will 'boomerang'China not received reports of crashed plane in Chinese waters-TVTed Turner rushed to clinic in Argentina with appendicitis - mediaObama phoned Merkel on Friday to discuss Ukraine situation -White HouseGreece, lenders will miss March 10 deadline for rescue loan deal - sources Chong Wei to face Wan-ho in All-England semisChen and Wang happy ending in sight at All England event10 Games to greatnessA weekly horror show for fansCity baying for Latics’ blood More Latest Stories Topics Swedish child abuse trialKajang by-electionAddressing Cost of Living30 Years Of Star2Videos Sir Chris Bonington, mountaineer-explorer on The Leaderonomics Show World Diabetes Day advertisement advertisement site map Home News Business Sport Tech Lifestyle Travel Opinion subscriptions The Star newspaper Other Publications RSS Feeds other editions ePaper Mobile SMS Services Magazines Kuntum Galaxie Flavours company info About Us Contact Us Job Opportunities Investor Relations FAQs Advertising View Our Rate Card Policies Privacy Statement Terms of Use our sites MyStarJob Star Motoring Star Property R.AGE mStar Gooroo Red Tomato Leaderonomics SwitchUp.TV Star Accelerator Fund Search The Star Online Subscribe to our newsletter Connect with us Powered by Content Partner Our Radio Stations Copyright © 1995-2014 Star Publications (M) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) What are the top three most annoying in-flight habits/behaviour? Get Started »