Live: Fears for plane as contact lost

23:10 March 9

A Malaysian aviation official said here late Sunday that chemical test is being done on oil slick found off northeast Malaysian coast to determine whether it came from the missing airliner.

Director General of the Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia Azharuddin Abdul Rahman told a press conference Sunday evening that oil spill had been found near Tok Bali, Kelantan state, but could not confirm whether it came from the disappeared MAS Flight MH370.

"Our work now focus on locating the vanished jet," the official said. But he declined to give more information on a possible terror probe after the authorities disclosed at least two passengers had boarded the airliner with stolen passports.

A large oil slick stretching 100 nautical miles was found near Tok Bali, Kelantan Sunday by Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

21:42

Interpol can confirm that at least two passports – Austrian and Italian – recorded in its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database were used by passengers on board missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH 370. Read more

21:24

A Chinese coast guard vessel in search of a missing Beijing-bound plane had covered a 200 square kilometer area as of 7:00 pm Sunday but no suspected target had been found, according to the country's marine police.

20:05

There was no significant weather change over Malaysian waters which could have threatened a missing Malaysian passenger jet carrying 239 people, said Khairul Najib, the Malaysian Meteorological Department's National Weather Center meteorological officer.

18:04

Initial search by the Philippine military for the Malaysian aircraft that went missing Saturday morning had been unsuccessful by Sunday afternoon, Philippine military said later that day.

17:17

Singaporean vessels searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines passenger plane have found some suspicious floating objects, Vietnamese official media outlets reported.

15:58

A large oil slick 100 nautical miles from Tok Bali, Kelantan was found on Sunday by Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Malaysian state news agency Bernama reported.

15:50

Families of those traveling on the aircraft have urged the Malaysia Airlines to publicly reveal the truth about the incident. They have also requested the Chinese Foreign Ministry to deal with the situation on a priority basis.

Finally, they have asked the people in charge of the operation at Lido Hotel to work in a coordinated way and hold talks with the Malaysia Airlines in a unified voice.

President Xi Jinping ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as Chinese embassies and consulates to strengthen contact with relevant countries and pay close attention to the search and rescue work for the plane. Premier Li Keqiang called Malaysia prime minster Najib Razak over the missing plane and urged Malaysian authorities to intensify the search and rescue efforts.

14:43

Family members of the MH370 passengers from Beijing who wish to travel will be flown in stages to Kuala Lumpur on the available flights. Caregivers are already assigned to each family and they are trained staff and volunteers from Malaysia and Australia, said Malaysia Airlines in its 8th Media Statement.

14:30

The earliest flight to Malaysia for Chinese relatives will depart in two days, according to Malaysia Airlines executive.

14:05

Two passengers with false passports got on board the missing Malaysian plane according to the closed-circuit television (CCTV) records, Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation Director General Azharuddin Abdul Rahman confirmed Sunday in a latest press conference.

14:00

The China-bound Malaysia Airlines plane may have turned back before it went missing from radar screen and the Malaysian authorities are also investigating two passengers that had used false passports to board the plane, department of civil aviation director general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said Sunday.

13:45

Weather in the area where missing Malaysia Airline flight MH370 may have crashed was good with clear visibility, said Meng Zhaodong, the captain of Rescue ship Taishunhai Vessel, via a satellite telephone from the suspected zone.

As of 11:30 am on Sunday, the vessel "China Coast Guard 3411" has entered the area and was about 45 nautical miles from where the plane was believed to be when it lost contact with ground control, according to China's State Oceanic Administration.

13:30

The Malaysia Airlines will arrange five relatives of each passenger on the MH370 to go to Kuala Lumpur, but the first plane will only carry two direct relatives of each passenger, said the airlines spokesman on Sunday.

13:00

A Vietnamese helicopter discovered two oil slicks in waters off the coast of Vietnam and the oil slicks were spotted at the suspected area where a China-bound Malaysia Airlines plane went missing, an official with the search operation confirmed Sunday.

12:26

Boeing will join the US National Transportation Safety Board team as a technical advisor. The team is now en route to the area so they will be positioned to offer assistance.

12:22

Rescue ship Taishunhai Vessel has already reached the area where missing Malaysia Airline flight MH370 may have crashed. No suspicious debris has been found.

12:20

Four passengers were likely using other people's passports aboard the MH370 airline and Malaysia is working closely with international intelligence and anti-terror organizations to investigate the case, said Malaysia's acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

12:00

Malaysian authorities are investigating the possibility of an air turn back that could have been performed by missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370, AFP reported.

11:30 am

Malaysian authorities are investigating the identities of at least two other passengers on a missing Malaysia Airlines flight, in addition to two who were found to be using stolen passports, a security official said. More about the passport issue

11:20 am

Rescue vessel "South China Sea Rescue 101", loaded with a Chinese emergency response team, is ready to sail at Sanya Port in Sanya city of South China's Hainan province, March 9, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

An emergency response team including 12 divers and salvagers sent by the Ministry of Transport set out early Sunday morning from South China's Sanya Port in Hainan province to sea area where missing Malaysia Airline flight MH 370 may have crashed.

11:15 am

Malaysia Airline plane that went missing over Vietnam on Saturday has still not been located, said Li Jiaxiang, director of Civil Aviation Administration, China.

China has dispatched a large team, including marine forces, to help in the search for the aircraft that was carrying 239 people, including 154 Chinese.

Li said it has not been confirmed that two passengers on the plane were traveling on fake passports. More from Li's press conference

10:35 am

CNN law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes, a former FBI assistant director, was told by sources at Interpol, which keeps a database of lost or stolen travel documents, that the stolen Italian passport was in the agency's database. The reportedly stolen Austrian passport was not. Malaysian authorities apparently did not check Interpol's database, sources told Fuentes.

10:00 am

Chinese Coast Guard's vessel, called 3411, is set to reach Sunday afternoon the sea area where the missing Malaysia Airline flight MH 370 is feared to have crashed.

09:45 am

Malaysian Airlines' Commercial Director Hugh Dunleavy met with the relatives of the plane passengers in Beijing and asked the relatives of the plane passengers to prepare their passport and identity card. See photos

09:38 am

In the passenger information released by the Malaysian Airlines, a passport number does not match with the name of the person according to Xiamen police. The passport was approved by the public security department of Fujian province. The passport holder was not on the missing flight and is at home.

09:30 am

More than 24 hours after the lost of contact with Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the search and rescue teams are still unable to detect the whereabouts of the missing aircraft, the Malaysia Airlines said in its 7th Media Statement.

08:36 am

Malaysia's state news agency Bernama quoted an unidentified relative of one of the passengers as saying that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife are scheduled to meet the relatives after dawn.

08:14 am

Premier Li Keqiang held emergency talks over the phone Saturday with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on the loss of contact of the Malaysia Airlines flight and asked Malaysia to act quickly over missing plane.

08:03 am

Relatives of passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines plane will be taken to the KL International Airport to be flown to an undisclosed location Sunday morning, state news agency Bernama reported.

07:40 am

The United States officials are investigating terrorism concerns over the missing Malaysia Airlines plane after two people listed as passengers of the MH370 flight were confirmed not on board, and their passports were reported stolen in Thailand.

06:00 am

Two warships of the Chinese navy, "Jinggangshan" and "Mianyang", are on their way to sea area where missing Malaysia Airline flight MH370 may have crashed, navy sources said.

04:46 am

President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday urged emergency measures over the missing Malaysian flight bound for Beijing with more than 150 Chinese nationals on board.

04:34 am

There is still no information on the location of Malaysian Airlines flight MH 370, more than 24 hours after it lost contact with ground, the airline said early Sunday.

"As of now, the search and the rescue team has yet to determine the whereabouts of the MH370," said the airline's spokesman at a press conference in Beijing, which lasted less than 30 minutes.

He added that rescue teams have "failed to find evidence of any wreckage."

03:50 am March 9 Beijing time

Here is the sixth media statement issued by Malaysuan Airlines on its website:

Sepang, 9 March 2014: Malaysia Airlines humbly asks all Malaysians and people around the world to pray for flight MH370.

It has been more than 24 hours since we last heard from MH370 at 1.30 am. The search and rescue team is yet to determine the whereabouts of the Boeing 777-200 aircraft.

An international search and rescue mission from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam was mobilized this morning. At this stage, they have failed to find evidence of any wreckage. The sea mission will continue overnight while the air mission will recommence at daylight.

We are dispatching all information as and when we receive it. The situation in Beijing is also being monitored closely. As many families of passengers are in China, we have deployed our “Go Team” to Beijing with a team of caregivers and volunteers to assist the family members of the passengers.

Immediate families of passengers are advised to gather at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Travel arrangements and expenses will be borne by Malaysia Airlines. Once, the whereabouts of the aircraft is determined, Malaysia Airlines will fly members of the family to the location.

Our sole priority now is to provide all assistance to the families of the passengers and our staff. We are also working closely with the concerned authorities in the search and rescue operation

The families may contact +603 7884 1234.

For media queries, kindly contact +603 8777 5698/ +603 8787 1276.

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