Airline says it lost contact with flight MH370 – which was destined for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur – two hours after takeoff
A search and rescue operation is under way after Malaysia Airlines said a plane carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew had gone missing en route to Beijing.
The company said it lost contact with the aircraft two hours after take-off and it was working with authorites who had deployed search and rescue teams to locate the aircraft, whichleft Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am local time on Saturday.
The flight, MH370, had been expected to land at Beijing at 6.30am. The passengers on board included two infants, according to the airline, which also released a telephone number which members of the public could call to seek information.
A statement published on Facebook by the airline said : "Malaysia Airlines confirms that flight MH370 has lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am, today (8 March 2014).
"Flight MH370, operated on the B777-200 aircraft, departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am on 8 March 2014. MH370 was expected to land in Beijing at 6.30am the same day. The flight was carrying a total number of 227 passengers (including 2 infants), 12 crew members.
"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft.
"The airline will provide regular updates on the situation. Meanwhile, the public may contact +603 7884 1234 for further info."
The last major accident involving a Malaysia Airlines flight was in September 1995, when one of its aircraft crashed in the Malaysian city of Tawau, killing 34 people on board and injuring nine on the ground. The plane had been attempting to land at the airport when it overshot the runway and plunged into neighboring houses.
In December 1977, a Malaysia Airlines flightwas hijacked and crashed in Tanjung Kupang, killing all 100 on board.
A Boeing 777, part of Boeing's most popular family of large twin-engine jets, was involved in a crash in July last year in San Francisco in which three people died. One of the passengers who died was hit by a fire truck in the aftermath of the crash. Despite the deaths, and injuries suffered by many of the plane's 291 passengers, safety experts subsequently said that the safety features of the aircraft "helped to prevent" a much worse disaster.
One of the planes crash-landed short of a runway at Heathrow airport in January 2008, ripping off part of its undercarriage. All 136 passengers and 16 crew escaped from the British Airways flight from Beijing. It crashed after losing power because of a restricted fuel flow to both engines, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said afterwards. It concluded that the crash-landing was probably caused by a buildup of ice in the fuel system on the plane.
source Guardian
No comments:
Post a Comment