China begins search for Malaysia plane in own territory

China has begun searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane on its own territory.

Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Huang Huikang said on Tuesday that the decision came after satellite imagery and military radar data suggested the missing Boeing 777 might have passed over far western China.

The Chinese envoy also stated that no evidence has been found linking the Chinese passengers on board the jetliner to ‘terrorism’ or hijacking.

Meanwhile, more than three million people have joined the search operation by examining satellite imagery on an online crowd-sourcing platform provided by a satellite company.

According to the satellite firm, participants have tagged 2.9 million areas of interest in some 257 million “map views” and the most notable areas will be shared with authorities.

The Malaysia Airlines plane with 239 passengers and crew aboard went missing on March 8, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to the Chinese capital, Beijing.

The disappearance initiated a massive international search across Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. However, no traces of the aircraft have been found so far.

Investigators are looking into the possibility that the crew might have been involved in its disappearance, as senior Malaysian civil aviation officials argue that the communications systems on the aircraft were deliberately disabled.

Malaysian authorities also say the passenger plane was intentionally diverted and could have flown on either a northern or southern arc from its last known position.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Defense and Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein has called on more countries to join the search mission for the airliner.