"It has been more than 24 hours since we last heard from MH370 at 1:30 am. The search and rescue team is yet to determine the whereabouts of the Boeing 777-200 aircraft." said Malaysia Airlines in its sixth media statement on their website.
An international search and rescue mission from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam has been deployed this morning. So far, the team has failed to find evidence of any wreckage. The sea mission will continue overnight while the air mission will recommence at daytime.
Vietnamese air force planes on Saturday spotted two large oil slicks close to where a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 went missing earlier in the day, the first sign that the aircraft carrying 239 people had crashed.
Route of Flight MH370
The air force planes were part of a multinational search operation launched after Flight MH370 fell off radar screens less than an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing early Saturday morning.
The oil slicks were spotted late Saturday off the southern tip of Vietnam and were each between 10 kilometers (6 miles) and 15 kilometers (9 miles) long, the Vietnamese government said in a statement. There was no confirmation that the slicks were related to the missing plane, but the statement said they were consistent with the kinds that would be produced by the two fuel tanks of a crashed jetliner.
Two-thirds of the missing plane's passengers were from China, while others were from elsewhere in Asia, North America and Europe.
Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said there was no indication that the pilots had sent a distress signal, suggesting that whatever happened to the plane occurred quickly and possibly catastrophically.
Premier asks Malaysia to act quickly
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held emergency talks over the phone Saturday with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on the loss of contact of the Malaysia Airlines flight.
Premier Li said the Malaysia Airlines flight that went missing early Saturday morning were deeply concerned about the safety of all 239 people onboard.
"We have activated the emergency mechanism and dispatched specialized search and rescue vessels and marine police boats to the relevant sea areas to fully engage in search and rescue work," he said.
Najib extended his deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the Chinese passengers.
Malaysia was working closely with other countries in the region where the plan disappeared to locate its position as quickly as possible and to carry out an all-out search and rescue operation, he said.
Malaysia was sending a working group to Beijing to help deal with matters relating to the tragedy, and was ready to maintain contact and cooperation with China in thiands ready to keep close cooperation with Malaysia and I am ready to keep communication with you at any time."
Najib extended his deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the Chinese passengers.
Malaysia was working closely with other countries in the region where the plan disappeared to locate its position as quickly as possible and to carry out an all-out search and rescue operation, he said.
Malaysia was sending a working group to Beijing to help deal with matters relating to the tragedy, and was ready to maintain contact and cooperation with China in thime is life, and human life is above all else," Li said, adding the top priority now was to swiftly find out the facts and intensify the search and rescue effort through various channels.
"We expect Malaysia to exert all efforts to cooperate with relevant countries, such as Vietnam, to find the missing plane as soon as possible, seize the golden window of opportunity for finding survivors, and do the utmost to launch rescue operations," he said.
"Meanwhile, emotions of the relatives of the passengers should be taken good care of," he said.
China coast guard vessel dashing for lost plane rescue
A Chinese coast guard vessel is rushing to the waters where a missing Malaysian plane may be located, said the State Oceanic Administration on Saturday evening.
Although the location of the plane is unknown, experts have speculated it is likely in waters off Vietnam or Malaysia.
Under an emergency response mechanism, the vessel, coded "3411", is sailing to this area at full speed, and is expected to arrive by Sunday afternoon.
