Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Search and rescue teams are looking for a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet with 239 people aboard.
The airline says it lost contact with a plane. It took off from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
According to China's state news agency, the plane lost communication over Vietnam with a control department in Ho Chi Minh City at 1:20 a.m. Xinhua (shihn-wah) reported the radar signal for the Boeing 777-200 also was lost.
Malaysia Airlines says the plane was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members.
The airline says it's working with authorities who activated their search and rescue teams to locate the aircraft. The route would take it from Malaysia across to Vietnam and China.
At Beijing's airport, worried relatives and friends of passengers have been asked to gather to a hotel about a 30 minute drive from the airport to wait for further information. Airport authorities have provided shuttle bus service.
The 777 had not had a fatal crash in its 20 year history until the Asiana crash in San Francisco in July 2013.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
