A passenger plane carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing has lost contact with air traffic control after leaving the Malaysian capital, Xinhua reports.
Malaysia Airlines said flight MH370, a Boeing 777-200, lost touch with Subang Air Traffic Control around 02:40 am local time Saturday morning (1840 GMT Friday).
The aircraft left Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 00:41 am (1641 GMT Friday) and was expected to land in Beijing at 06:30 am (2230 GMT Friday).
China is very worried over a Beijing-bound plane that has lost contact with air traffic control, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday.
"The news is very disturbing. We hope everyone on the plane is safe," said Wang.
He made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.
Wang said that China's Foreign Ministry and the related departments had activated an emergency response mechanism.
"As soon as we have any more information, we will give it to you immediately," he told reporters.
Update 14:25 CST: Vietnamese Navy Admiral Ngo Van Phat told Tuoi Tre that Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has crashed into the ocean. The Vietnamese navy is on standby to launch a rescue operation. A navy spokesperson later denied the admiral's claims however to the BBC.
Update 14:53 CST: Here is a passenger manifest, released by Malaysia Airlines, showing the nationalities of the passengers on board:
China – 152 plus 1 infant
Malaysia - 38
Indonesia - 12
Australia - 7
France - 3
United States of America – 3 pax plus 1 infant
New Zealand - 2
Ukraine - 2
Canada - 2
Russia - 1
Italy - 1
Taiwan - 1
Netherlands - 1
Austria - 1
A Malaysian Transport Minister denied reports that the plane had crashed south of an island off Vietnam: "We have no sign of plane wreckage."
Malaysia Airlines said it is trying to confirm rumours that the plane may have landed at Nanming.
Malaysia Airlines personnel face reporters at Beijing International Airport March 8, 2014 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Xiao Lu Chu/Getty Images)
A relative of a passenger onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 (Center) cries at Beijing International Airport March 8, 2014 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)
[Image via Wikipedia]
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