AFP reports that a Malaysia Airlines flight headed from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing went missing this afternoon, having lost contact with air traffic control. The Boeing 777-200 is said to be carrying 239 passengers. According to the airline, Flight MH370 left Malaysia shortly after midnight local time, only to disappear a few hours later. It was meant to land in China at 6:30 Saturday morning local time.
"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft," said the airline in a prepared statement on Facebook. An image provided by FlightAware shows the craft last tracked in southern Asia:
Update 1: Malaysia Airlines issued a new statement online saying it is in the process of alerting the families and next-of-kin of the passengers aboard the lost flight.
Update 2: Malaysia Airlines vice president of operations control Fuad Sharuji appeared on CNN's AC360 earlier this evening to state, "At the moment we have no idea where this aircraft is right now." Chinese state television reports that there haven't been any reports of any aircraft crashing into Chinese waters. Meanwhile, state news agency Xinhua reported that radar contact was lost while the flight was in Vietnamese airspace.
Update 3: Malaysia Airlines has issued a statement saying that rumours of the plane landing in China "ARE FALSE" the plane "IS STILL MISSING."
Regular updates will be provided about the fate of the aircraft and we all pray for the safety of the 239 passengers.
Developing... And updating Live
Omg! Guys lets put down our prayers here in the comments
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