A search and rescue mission is underway for a Malaysia Airlines flight, which has lost contact with air traffic control.
Flight with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board missing ... Malaysia Airlines service bound for Beijing lost. Source: Supplied
- Beijing-bound flight loses contact at 5.40am AEDT
- 239 passengers missing
- Six or seven Australians were on board
- DFAT hotline: 1300 555 135 or 02 6261 3305
SIX or seven Australians are among the 239 people on board a Malaysia Airlines flight that lost contact with air traffic control and may have gone down in the Gulf of Thailand.
The Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, a Boeing 777-200 aircraft, lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 5.40am (AEST).
"The flight was carrying 227 passengers (including two infants), 12 crew members," the airline said in a statement.
Malaysia Airlines said the passengers were from 14 different nationalities. Initial reports stated seven passangers were Australians but a subsequent statement from the airline put the number at six. Two were from New Zealand.
Grim news ... Malaysian Airlines Group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya addresses the media near Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Picture: Manan Vatsyayana Source: AFP
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the government
"fears the worst" for those aboard the flight, and that they had so far confirmed the names of six Australians on the flight's passenger manifest.
"Australian consular officials are in contact with family members living in Australia of those believed to be on the flight and will continue to provide the families with all possible consular assistance," the spokesperson said.
"Australian consular officials are in urgent and ongoing contact with Malaysia Airlines.
Malaysia Airlines has advised that it is contacting relatives of the passengers on the flight."
The airline has established a call centre – phone +60 37884 1234 – for those seeking more information.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's 24 hour Consular Emergency Centre is contactable on 1 300 555 135, or +61 2 6261 3305 (if calling from overseas).
A total of 153 passengers were Chinese nationals.
There were also 38 from Malaysia, 12 from Indonesia, three from France, two from New Zealand, four from the USA, two from Ukraine, two Canadians, two Russians, one Italian, one from Taiwan, one from The Netherlands and one from Austria.
Reports on Twitter appeared to show a list of names of passengers on board the flight, but this had not been confirmed.
Yahoo News quoted local newspaper reports that the Vietnamese Navy said the plane went down into the sea about 153 miles south of Phu Quoc Island, just off the coast of the Vietnamese / Cambodian border.
According to the reports, Vietnamese military radar recorded the plane crashing into the sea.
There was no confirmation of the report from Malaysia Airlines, however.
Other media outlets reported that the Chinese Navy had deployed two vessels to the South China Sea to search for the missing plane.
"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their search and rescue team to locate the aircraft," Malaysia Airlines said.
Search and rescue under way ... a map of the Malaysia Airlines flight's approximate flight path to Beijing. Source: Supplied
China's state news agency reported that the Malaysia Airlines aircraft lost contact over Vietnam while an unconfirmed report on a flight tracking website said the aircraft had plunged 200m and changed course shortly before all contact was lost.
The route would have taken the plane across the Malaysian mainland in a north easterly direction and then across the Gulf of Thailand.
Grief ... A possible relative cries at the Beijing Airport. Picture: Mark Ralston Source: AFP
Chinese news agency Xinhua quoted Chinese aviation authorities saying the plane did not enter China's air traffic control sphere.
China's foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement: "We are very concerned learning this news."
"We are contacting relevant authorities and are trying to confirm relevant information.''
Malaysia Airlines vice president told CNN that the missing plane had enough fuel for seven hours.
In shock ... A woman, center, surrounded by media covers her mouth on her arrival at a hotel which is prepared for relatives or friends of passengers aboard the missing plane, in Beijing. Picture: Andy Wong Source: AP
Malaysia Airlines' Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in a statement: "We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts with flight MH370 which departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am earlier this morning bound for Beijing."
MORE: PLANE CRASHES THAT CHANGED AVIATION HISTORY
Seven Australians have been confirmed to be on board a Malaysian Airlines flight which has gone missing.
"The aircraft was scheduled to land at Beijing International Airport at 6.30am local Beijing time (9.30am AEST).
Subang Air Traffic Control reported that it lost contact at 2.40am (local Malaysia time) today.
Flight MH370 was operated on a Boeing B777-200 aircraft," he said.
"The flight was carrying a total number of 239 passengers and crew — comprising 227 passengers (including 2 infants), 12 crew members. The passengers were of 13 different nationalities."
Recording the grief ... media hover over a possible relative of a passenger on the Malaysia Airlines flight. Picture: Mark Ralston Source: AFP
The pilot was 53 year old captain Zahari Ahmad Shah, who joined the airline in 1981 and had over 18,000 flying hours.
An interesting Tweet from The Daily Telegraph's Beijing correspondent shows Beijing Airport full of police but no one waiting for the plane to arrive.
"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft," Mr Yahya said..
"We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts with flight MH370 which departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am earlier this morning bound for Beijing.
"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.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members."
Fearing the worst ... Chinese police stand beside the arrival board showing the flight MH370 (top red) at Beijing Airport. Picture: Mark Ralston Source: AFP
Follow Malaysia Airlines on the incident on Facebook
Showing the strain ... a Malaysian policeman stands guard outside a reception centre for family and friends at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Picture: Manan Vatsyayana Source: AFP
Malaysia Airlines is the national carrier of Malaysia and one of Asia's largest, flying nearly 37,000 passengers daily to some 80 destinations worldwide.
Malaysia Airlines has 15 777 planes in the fleet and is an experienced operator of this type of aircraft.
Aviation Week reported that the missing plane was a 777-2H6ER with tail number 9M-MRO and serial number 28420. It had been built in 2002 and had been used by Malaysian Airlines since that time.
The last major crash of Malaysia Airlines flight was in 1995, when a Fokker 50 (9M-MGH) crashed during approach in Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia, killing 34 people.
In 1977, a Malaysia Airlines flight was hijacked and crashed in Tanjung Kupang, Johor, Malaysia, killing all 100 people aboard.
Anyone wanting more information on the flight should call the airline on +60-378841234.
Commercial flight missing ... The image from @flightaware shows the last known track of flight MH370 over southern Asia. Picture: Flightaware.com Source: Supplied
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