The father of the Italian man who was thought to be on the missing Malaysian Airlines aircraft, Luigi Maraldi, said on Saturday that his son had the passport stolen last August at a vehicle rental shop in Thailand.
Chinese aviation experts said it will be difficult to locate the missing aircraft due to technical reasons.
The search and rescue team is yet to determine the whereabouts of the Boeing 777-200 aircraft, Malaysia Airlines said in its sixth media statement. LIVE
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.
Insurance agencies streamline claims process for more than 70 policy holders on missing Malaysia Airlines plane with coverage expected to surpass $3.2m
Singapore has sent a C130 Hercules aircraft for a search and locate mission for the missing plane of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), which carried 239 people.
Cries and tears grip a hotel conference room in Beijing on Saturday as some 120 relatives and friends gathered in hope of further news on their beloved ones aboard a missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft.
Families and friends of passengers onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines plane opened up to China Daily while awaiting news from their loved ones.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China has been informed by Vietnamese civil aviation authorities that Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore are conducting a joint search for a missing Malaysian plane south of Vietnam's Tho Chu Islands.
China, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia join search efforts for a plane with 154 Chinese on board. Live Report
A relative (C, in white) of a passenger onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, covers her face as she cries at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing March 8, 2014.