Malaysian Airlines B777 passenger jet crashed in Vietnam waters
Mar 08, 2014
Vietnamese state media said a Malaysian Airlines B777 passenger plane came down close to Vietnam’s Tho Chu Island. At a
press conference in Beijing, representatives from Malaysia Airlines said no wreckage has yet been found and they have
deployed boats and helicopters in the area to verify reports from the Vietnamese Navy.
Malaysia Airlines said flight MH370 lost touch with Subang Air Traffic Control around 02:40 local time Saturday morning
The aircraft left Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 00:41 and was expected to land in Beijing at 06:30 local time
(22:30 GMT).
Despite local news reports, Vietnamese and Malaysian rescue crews have not located the plane’s signal, but Hanoi
believes the craft disappeared in Vietnamese airspace.
The flight was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members, the airline said in a statement.
"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their search and rescue team to locate
the aircraft," the airline added.
There were 14 nationalities represented among the 227 passengers, according to airline officials. Passengers include 153
Chinese, 38 Malaysians, seven Indonesians, seven Australians, five Indians, four Americans, and one Russian, among
others.
The passenger manifest will not be released until all families of the passengers have been informed. The flight was
carrying a total number of 239 passengers and crew – comprising 227 passengers (including 2 infants) and 12 crew
members.
We are deploying our “Go Team” to Beijing which will depart Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 4.30pm with a team of
caregivers and volunteers to assist the family members of the passengers.
The passengers are of 14 different nationalities. All crew on-board are Malaysians.
“Our team is currently calling the next-of-kin of passengers and crew,” Malaysia Airlines said in a further
statement.“Focus of the airline is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilize its full support.”
The last contact the plane had with air traffic controllers was 120 nautical miles off the east coast of the Malaysian
town of Kota Bharu, the airline said on Saturday. The pilot of the flight was 53-year-old Malaysian national Captain
Zaharie Ahmad Shah who has logged a total of 18,365 flying hours and has been working for Malaysian airlines since 1981.
China is assisting Malaysia Airlines with the search for the plane, Chinese state television reported.
"We are very worried after learning the news. We are trying to get in touch with relevant parties to check it out,"
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in statement.
The flight was a codeshare with China Southern Airlines.
Prior to July 2013's deadly crash of an Asiana Airlines 777 in San Francisco, the aircraft had been one of only a few
long-range jets built by Boeing and Airbus to have never recorded a fatality.
The 777 first flew in 1994, and was introduced into commercial service in 1995. Boeing had delivered 1,100 of the
aircraft around the world as of last year.
"We're closely monitoring reports on Malaysia flight MH370," Boeing tweeted. "Our thoughts are with everyone on board."
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