MISSING MH370 : MAS 'lost contact' with plane carrying 239 people

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airline officials are now contacting the next of kin of the passengers of flight MH370.

A Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH370 flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing has lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am, today.

The plane was carrying a total number of 227 passengers including two infants and twelve crew members.

Malaysia Airlines said in a statement that the B777-200 aircraft had departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am today and was expected to land in Beijing at 6.30am the same day.

"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft," the statement said.

The airline said they will provide regular updates on the situation.

Meanwhile AFP reported, a spokeswoman said she could not immediately provide further details.

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) planes have had few accidents.

One of the smaller Twin Otter aircraft, operated by MASwings, crashed upon  landing in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo island last October, killing a  co-pilot and a passenger.

A jet crashed in 1977 in southern Malaysia, killing all 93 passengers and  seven crew.

China's CCTV said 160 Chinese nationals were onboard the flight, according to microblogging website Weibo.

Chinese state TV also reported there had not been any reports received yet about any aircraft crashed in Chinese waters.

State news agency Xinhua reported radar contact with the flight was lost while it was in Vietnamese airspace.

If the plane is found to have crashed, the loss would mark the second fatal accident involving a Boeing 777 in less than a year, after an unblemished safety record since the jet entered service in 1995.

Last summer, an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crash landed in San Francisco, killing three passengers.

AP reported, “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.