MALAYSIA LOSES CONTACT WITH PLANE CARRYING 239

[jumpman2314]

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia Airlines said Saturday it lost contact with a plane carrying 239 people on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and search and rescue teams were trying to locate the aircraft.

Flight MH370 lost contact with the Subang air traffic control near Kuala Lumpur at 2:40 a.m. Saturday (18:40 GMT Friday).

The flight was operated on the Boeing 777-200 aircraft. It departed Kuala Lumpur at 12:41 a.m. Saturday (16:41 GMT Friday) and was expected to land in Beijing at 6:30 a.m. Saturday (22:30 GMT Friday).

The plane was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members, the airline said.

The airline said it was working with authorities who activated their search and rescue team to locate the aircraft. The route would take the aircraft from Malaysia across to Vietnam and China.

"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 mobilize its full support," Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in a statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members," he added.

Malaysia Airlines has 15 Boeing 777-200 jets in its fleet of about 100 planes. The state-owned carrier last month reported its fourth straight quarterly loss.

The 777 has not had a fatal crash in its 20 year history until the Asiana crash in San Francisco in July 2014.

http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/malaysia-airlines-says-plane-missing

Praying all is well.

How often do incidents like this happen?

 

[RustyShackleford]

It will be a miracle if this thing ends well.

The plane probably crashed in a remote area. |I

 

[j671]

I really hope everyone is ok.

 

[ksteezy]

probably one of my biggest fears.

 

[bayyrd]

Hope for the best...worse situation for their families right now...can't imagine

 

[ksteezy]

was it flying over sea?

 

[RustyShackleford]

was it flying over sea?

Word is there would have been over land.

 

[airedweezy]

They say flying is the safest way of travel but there's always that one chance smh.

That feeling you get while flying over the ocean

 

[picasso swerve]

probably one of my biggest fears.

 

[water]

Saw this on the news 20 mins ago 

I was confused on how a plane goes missing

Then I realized it most likely crashed 

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Wow.

 

[jmansmc23]

smh|I

 

[430AM]

With the way technology and communication is nowadays how does something like this even happen?

Hoping for the best...

 

[solecity]

***** wack.. hope for the best

 

[goldmember]

No words to describe what families are going through right now. Hoping for the best... has infants too

 

[Bert.]

With the way technology and communication is nowadays how does something like this even happen?

Hoping for the best...

the plane crashes?

anyways hope thats not the case

 

[thejet]

Just when I JUST booked a flight...

Thoughts and prayers to those in the flight

 

[T0INE]

Crazy.

While it seems improbable, I hope this situation doesn't end badly.

 

[Nawzlew]

Just when I JUST booked a flight...

Thoughts and prayers to those in the flight

I've flown countless times yet I always feel anxious.

 

[yvespo3]

I saw it might of ran out of fuel, I don't understand how a plane doesn't get enough fuel for its trip

 

[RustyShackleford]

I saw it might of ran out of fuel, I don't understand how a plane doesn't get enough fuel for its trip

What they were saying is that there is no way the plane could still be flying around, because it would be out of fuel by now.

Not that it didn't have enough to make the trip

 

[yvespo3]

What they were saying is that there is no way the plane could still be flying around, because it would be out of fuel by now.

Not that it didn't have enough to make the trip

Thanks for clarifying

 

[mangudai954]

What they were saying is that there is no way the plane could still be flying around, because it would be out of fuel by now.

Not that it didn't have enough to make the trip

Damn man.

 

[Nouss]

probably one of my biggest fears.

This.

Damn they shoulda landed arrived about 7 hrs ago? Hope everything is ok.

 

[based mod]

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.

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 pax 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.

|I