UPDATE 4:20pm: Fairfax media have confirmed with Malaysia Airlines that there were six Australians on board flight MH370, not seven as was previously reported.
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UPDATE 3:10pm: Contrary to previous reports, no signal had been picked up from a Malaysia Airlines Boeing B777-200 aircraft flight by Vietnamese officials.
Vietnamese and Chinese media had reported that a signal from the plane had been picked up, prompting speculation that the plane had in fact landed, or been detected in the ocean.
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UPDATE 2:50pm: Malaysia Airlines have released another statement on their Facebook page. It confirms that there were seven Australians on board the flight.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are deeply saddened this morning with the news on MH370.
Malaysia Airlines confirms that flight MH370 had lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am, today.
There has been speculation that the aircraft has landed at Nanming.
We are working to verify the authenticity of the report and others.
Flight MH370 was operated on a Boeing 777-200 aircraft.
It departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 am earlier this morning bound for Beijing.
The aircraft was scheduled to land at Beijing International Airport at 6.30am local Beijing time.
The flight was carrying a total number of 239 passengers and crew – comprising 227 passengers (including 2 infants), 12 crew members.
The passengers were of 14 different nationalities – citizens from:-
15. China – 152 plus 1 infant
16. Malaysia – 38
17. Indonesia – 12
18. Australia – 7
19. France – 3
20. United States of America – 3 pax plus 1 infant
21. New Zealand – 2
22. Ukraine – 2
23. Canada – 2
24. Russia – 1
25. Italy – 1
26. Taiwan – 1
27. Netherlands – 1
28. Austria – 1
This flight was a code share with China Southern Airlines.
We are working with authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft.
Our team is currently calling the next-of-kin of passengers and crew.
The flight was piloted by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a Malaysian aged 53. He has a total flying hours of 18,365 hours. He joined Malaysia Airlines in 1981.
First officer, Fariq Ab.Hamid, a Malaysian, is aged 27. He has a total flying hours of 2,763 hours. He joined Malaysia Airlines in 2007.
Our focus now 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.
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UPDATE 2:20pm: There are now reports that there are seven Australians on board the flight. We will update as more details come to light.
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UPDATE 1:35pm: A spokesperson for Malaysia Airlines has told The Daily Telegraph that it is their understanding that there are Australian passengers on board Flight MH370, which is lost after failing to arrive at Beijing from Kuala Lumpur earlier this morning.
The Daily Telegraph’s digital editor Peter Brown tweeted:
BREAKING NEWS: “It is our understanding there are Australian passengers on board,” a #MalaysiaAirlines spokesman has told @dailytelegraph
— Peter Brown (@SydneyEditor) March 8, 2014
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