Vietnam says detected Malaysia aircraft signals

Vietnam says it has detected signals from a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 that has gone missing with 239 people aboard.

The aircraft, which was traveling from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing, reportedly lost contact two hours into the flight in Vietnam’s airspace at 1:20 a.m. local time on Saturday (1820 GMT Friday).

Vietnam’s website VN Express said a Vietnamese search and rescue official reported that signals from the missing aircraft were detected about 120 nautical miles (140 miles; 225 kilometers) southwest of Vietnam’s southernmost province of Ca Mau.

Flight MH370 left Kuala Lumpur at 12:41 a.m. local time Saturday (1641 GMT Friday) and was set to land in Beijing at 6:30 a.m. (2230 GMT). It was carrying 227 passengers as well as 12 crew members from 14 countries.

Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in a statement, “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.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members,” he added.

Malaysian Airlines vice president of operations control, Fuad Sharuji, said the aircraft was flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet (10,670 meters).

The plane’s last communication was over the South China Sea between Malaysia and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Chinese officials at Beijing Capital International Airport posted a notice asking relatives and friends of passengers to come to a hotel about 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the airport to wait for further information as 153 passengers of the plane were from China.

In 1995, more than 30 people died in a Malaysia Airlines aircraft crash near the Malaysian city of Tawau.