A search and rescue mission is underway for a Malaysia Airlines flight, which has lost contact with air traffic control.
Flight with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board missing ... Malaysia Airlines service bound for Beijing lost. Source: Supplied
- Beijing-bound flight from Kuala Lumpur
- Plane lost contact at 5.40am AEDT
- 239 passengers missing, inclduing six Australians
- DFAT hotline: 1300 555 135 or 02 6261 3305
SIX Australians including two couples from Queensland one couple from New South Wales are missing and feared dead in a Malaysia Airlines crash in the waters off Vietnam.
Brisbane couples Rodney and Mary Burrows and Catherine and Robert Lawton of Springfield Lakes are believed to be friends travelling together.
It was the moment of unspeakable horror that changed the lives of three Aussie families forever.
"Dad phoned this morning and said 'Bobby's plane's missing','' said Robert Lawton's brother David.
"I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it.
"We just want to know where it is, where the plane's come down, if there's anything left.
"They went out for tea with my cousin in Kuala Lumpar and she dropped them off at the train station as they were going to the airport.
"That's the last she saw of them. She said they had a really good time last night.''
Robert and Catherine Lawton have daughters Amanda, Melissa and Glenda and two grandchildren. Cathy Lawton is visually impaired but that had not stopped her enjoying overseas trips with her husband.
"Bobby's a very good father, such a good person,'' David said.
Neighbours of the Lawtons described them as a lovely couple. Caroline Daintith, who had lived across the road from the Lawtons for years, said travel was a big part of the couples' lives.
Neighbour Mathew Cash, a member of the Royal Australian Airforce, said Mr Lawton was a wonderful neighbour who would keep an eye on other peoples' houses when they were away.
"And he even makes sure my wife is OK alone when I had to trouble with my work.
David Lawton's wife, Rhonda, said Cathy and Bob, both in their mid 50s, had been good friends with Mary and Rod Burrows and they had planned a holiday in China together. Family who had gathered at a Burrows family home yesterday waiting for news told The Sunday Mail they were too upset to speak.
The Burrows lived in the quiet Brisbane suburb of Middle Park, where neighbours last night described the tragic loss of two soul mates who always put family first.
"They are lovely people," said Don Stokes.
"They were excited about the trip.
"He just told me they were going to do extensive travel."
Fellow neighbour Mandy Watt added: "They were all about the kids. The kids had moved on... they're all successful, all happy. This was their time."
The couple from Sydney have been identified as Li Yuan and Gu Naijun. Their last known address is a peaceful townhouse in a complex on the northern tip of the Shire, where Boeings and Airbuses criss-cross in the skies above. Mr Li is believed to own the Metro petrol station in Miranda.
New Zealander Paul Weeks, who has spent the past two years living in Perth with his wife and children while working in the mining industry, was also onboard.
Mr Weeks was on his way to Mongolia to start a new job.
Last night his wife, who still lives in Perth, said she was trying to "process" the news.
On board the flight ... Catherine and Robert Lawton of Springfield Lakes. Picture: Facebook Source: Facebook
They are among the 239 people on board a Malaysia Airlines flight that lost contact with air traffic control and may have gone down in the Gulf of Thailand.
The Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, a Boeing 777-200 aircraft, lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 5.40am (AEST).
"The flight was carrying 227 passengers (including two infants), 12 crew members," the airline said in a statement.
Malaysia Airlines said the passengers were from 14 different countries. Initial reports stated seven passengers were Australians but a subsequent statement from the airline put the number at six. Two were from New Zealand.
For hours after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared from radar screens en route to Beijing the rumour mill was swirling.
Officials were forced to deny reports that the plane had landed in southern China, saying they were simply untrue.
They also said reports that the plane had crashed of the South Vietnamese coast had not been confirmed, nor could they rule out a terrorist attack or a complete loss of fuel.
The Vietnamese Navy claimed its military radar had recorded the plane crashing into the sea about 250km south of Phu Quoc Island, a popular Vietnamese tourist resort near Cambodia. That, too, remained unconformed.
Another report claimed the plane had suddenly plunged 200m and changed course shortly before all contact was lost. Aviation experts say this could have been due to a catastrophic engine failure, the pilots taking evasive action to avoid another aircraft, or an explosion.
But late into the night airline officials were still saying they simply did not know what had happened.
Raw ... in Beijing, a woman in tears is helped by airport workers to a bus waiting for relatives of the missing passengers. Picture: Han Guan Ng Source: AP
What is known is that three hours and 40 minutes afte takeoff the flight with 227 passengers from 14 countries and 12 crew ceased all contact with air traffic control near Ca Mau province in southern Vietnam.
Since then, no emergency message nor distress beacon has been heard.
"Normally, with a situation on a flight, they have time to check systems, activate emergency beacons, talk to other aircraft nearby and air traffic control," Adam Susz from the the Australian and International Pilots Association said.
"The thing about this type of incident is it seems to happen instantly.
"That's probably the last thing we want to hear is that it is a very sudden and unexpected sign."
Mr Susz said aircrafts were normally in constant communication with air traffic control, typically every 30 to 60 minutes, either by satellite or VHF.
Chinese and Thai authorities said the Boeing 777-200 did not enter their airspace.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the government "fears the worst" for those aboard the flight, and that they had so far confirmed the names of six Australians on the flight's passenger manifest.
"Our sympathies are with the families and friends of these Australians. We also extend our condolences to the families of the other passengers and to the governments of all those countries affected, in particular China, Indonesia and Malaysia who had significant numbers of nationals on this flight.
"Australian consular officials are in contact with family members living in Australia of those believed to be on the flight and will continue to provide the families with all possible consular assistance," the spokesperson said.
The world waits ... A spokesperson, right, from the Malaysia Airlines speaks to the media at a hotel in Beijing. Picture: Andy Wong Source: AP
"Australian consular officials are in urgent and ongoing contact with Malaysia Airlines. Malaysia Airlines has advised that it is contacting relatives of the passengers on the flight."
The airline has established a call centre – phone +60 37884 1234 – for those seeking more information.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's 24 hour Consular Emergency Centre is contactable on 1 300 555 135, or +61 2 6261 3305 (if calling from overseas).
A total of 153 passengers were Chinese nationals.
There were also 38 from Malaysia, 12 from Indonesia, three from France, two from New Zealand, four from the USA, two from Ukraine, two Canadians, two Russians, one Italian, one from Taiwan, one from The Netherlands and one from Austria.
Tearful and angry, the friends and relatives of passengers on board missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have lashed out at the company as journalists besiege them in a Beijing hotel.
Many were taken there by the airline after going to the Chinese capital's airport to meet the flight, scheduled to land at around 6:30am.
A press conference was expected at the same location, and when others arrived later, they had to run the gauntlet of scores of Chinese and international reporters shoving microphones and cameras in their faces.
"They should have told us something before now," said one visibly distressed man in his 30s, from the Chinese city of Tianjin.
A man in his 20s struggled to help a grieving older woman, possibly his mother, into a quiet room as journalists shouted questions at her.
"They are useless," he said of the airline. "I don't know why they haven't released any information. We waited for four hours and all they told us was the very few details they released at the media conference."
Fighting back tears, a 20-year-old woman who had gone to the airport to meet a college friend said the passenger's family still had not been told by the airline she was on board.
According to Malaysia Airlines, 153 of the 239 people on board the missing flight - a codeshare with China Southern Airlines - are Chinese citizens.
Scores of family members spoke to airline officials in small groups in a room on the hotel's second floor.
Security at times struggled to hold back the huge throng of reporters crowding outside the door and making it difficult for relatives to enter or exit.
One woman in her twenties entered the room frantically crying, ignoring questions from the horde.
A man in his 60s wiped tears from his eyes with a handkerchief as he entered the room.
He hit a cameraman in the face who tried to film him as he walked by, as a security guard shouted "Don't you all have families?"
Grim news ... Malaysian Airlines Group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya addresses the media near Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Picture: Manan Vatsyayana Source: AFP
Reports on Twitter appeared to show a full list of names of passengers on board the flight, but its veracity had not been confirmed.
Pham Hien, a Vietnamese search and rescue official, said the last signal detected from the plane was 120 nautical miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Vietnam's southernmost Ca Mau province, which is close to where the South China Sea meets the Gulf of Thailand.
Lai Xuan Thanh, director of Vietnam's civil aviation authority, said air traffic officials in the country never made contact with the plane.
The plane "lost all contact and radar signal one minute before it entered Vietnam's air traffic control,'' Lt. Gen. Vo Van Tuan, deputy chief of staff of the Vietnamese army, said in a statement issued by the government.
As darkness fell and a major search and rescue operation was under way off the Vietnamese coast, an airline spokesman said: "We are still trying to locate the current location of the flight based on the last known position of the aircraft.
"We are working with the International search and rescue teams in trying to locate the aircraft.
"So far, we have not received any emergency signals or distress messages from MH370.
"We are working with authorities and assure that all sources are deployed to assist with the search and rescue mission."
Malaysia and Vietnam have launched searches for a missing Malaysia Airlines jet.
The South China Sea is a tense region with competing territorial claims that have led to several low-level conflicts, particularly between China and the Philippines. That antipathy briefly faded as nations of the region rushed to aid in the search, with China dispatching two maritime rescue ships and the Philippines deploying three air force planes and three navy patrol ships to help.
"In times of emergencies like this, we have to show unity of efforts that transcends boundaries and issues,'' said Lt. Gen. Roy Deveraturda, commander of the Philippine military's Western Command.
The ministry launched a rescue effort to find the plane, working in coordination with Malaysian and Chinese officials, the statement added.
Malaysian authorities dispatched a plane, two helicopters and four vessels to search seas off its east coast in the South China Sea, said Faridah Shuib, a spokeswoman for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
The Philippines said it was sending three navy patrol boats and a surveillance plane to help efforts.
Yahoo News quoted local newspaper reports that the Vietnamese Navy said the plane went down into the sea about 153 miles south of Phu Quoc Island, just off the coast of the Vietnamese / Cambodian border.
Other media outlets reported that the Chinese Navy had deployed two vessels to the South China Sea to search for the missing plane.
"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their search and rescue team to locate the aircraft," Malaysia Airlines said.
Whatever happened to the flight, Indonesia-based independent aviation analyst Gerry Soejatman said the clock was ticking on a "24-hour golden window'' for search and rescue efforts.
"You can't assume that there are no survivors, and if there are any, it is absolutely crucial that they are picked up within a day, or the chances of survival drops significantly,'' he said.
Search and rescue under way ... a map of the Malaysia Airlines flight's approximate flight path to Beijing. Source: Supplied
China's state news agency reported that the Malaysia Airlines aircraft lost contact over Vietnam while an unconfirmed report on a flight tracking website said the aircraft had plunged 200m and changed course shortly before all contact was lost.
The route would have taken the plane across the Malaysian mainland in a north easterly direction and then across the Gulf of Thailand.
Grief ... A possible relative cries at the Beijing Airport. Picture: Mark Ralston Source: AFP
Chinese news agency Xinhua quoted Chinese aviation authorities saying the plane did not enter China's air traffic control sphere.
China's foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement: "We are very concerned learning this news."
"We are contacting relevant authorities and are trying to confirm relevant information.''
The vice president of Malaysia Airlines told CNN that the missing plane had enough fuel for seven hours.
In shock ... A woman, center, surrounded by media covers her mouth on her arrival at a hotel which is prepared for relatives or friends of passengers aboard the missing plane, in Beijing. Picture: Andy Wong Source: AP
Malaysia Airlines' Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in a statement: "We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts with flight MH370 which departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am earlier this morning bound for Beijing."
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Seven Australians have been confirmed to be on board a Malaysian Airlines flight which has gone missing.
"The aircraft was scheduled to land at Beijing International Airport at 6.30am local Beijing time (9.30am AEST).
"Subang Air Traffic Control reported that it lost contact at 2.40am (local Malaysia time) today.
"Flight MH370 was operated on a Boeing B777-200 aircraft," he said.
"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 13 different nationalities."
Recording the grief ... media hover over a possible relative of a passenger on the Malaysia Airlines flight. Picture: Mark Ralston Source: AFP
The pilot was 53 year old captain Zahari Ahmad Shah, who joined the airline in 1981 and had over 18,000 flying hours.
"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft," Mr Yahya said..
"We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts with flight MH370 which departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am earlier this morning bound for Beijing.
"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 mobilise its full support.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members."
Fearing the worst ... Chinese police stand beside the arrival board showing the flight MH370 (top red) at Beijing Airport. Picture: Mark Ralston Source: AFP
Follow Malaysia Airlines on the incident on Facebook
Fuad Sharuji, Malaysian Airlines' vice president of operations control, told CNN that the plane was flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet (10,670 meters) and that the pilots had reported no problem with the aircraft.
Finding planes that disappear over the ocean can be very difficult. Aeroplane "black boxes'' - the flight data and cockpit voice recorders - are equipped with "pingers'' that emit ultrasonic signals that can be detected underwater.
Under good conditions, the signals can be detected from several hundred miles away, said John Goglia, a former member of the US National Transportation Safety Board. If the boxes are trapped inside the wreckage, the sound may not travel as far, he said. If the boxes are at the bottom of an underwater trench, that also hinders how far the sound can travel. The signals also weaken over time.
Air France Flight 447, with 228 people on board, disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean en route from Rio de Janiero to Paris on June 1, 2009. Some wreckage and bodies were recovered over the next two weeks, but it took nearly two years for the main wreckage of the Airbus 330 and its black boxes to be located and recovered.
The Malaysia Airlines plane, registration 9M MRO, is thought to have been a regular on routes to Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Auckland.
A flight tracking website shows images of the plane descending at Kingsford-Smith airport in Sydney in 2010.
Showing the strain ... a Malaysian policeman stands guard outside a reception centre for family and friends at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Picture: Manan Vatsyayana Source: AFP
The Malaysian Airlines flight was not the only air traffic incident to happen on Saturday.
An Indian jetliner with 170 people on board caught fire while landing in Nepal's capital, but there were no casualties reported.
The right wheels of the Indigo Airbus 320 caught fire during the landing and passengers were quickly evacuated through emergency doors.
Officials said the plane, which was arriving from New Delhi, was flying too low before landing.
Fearing bad news ... a woman talks on the phone at a reception centre for families and friends of passengers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Picture: Manan Vatsyayana. Source: AFP
Malaysia Airlines is the national carrier of Malaysia and one of Asia's largest, flying nearly 37,000 passengers daily to some 80 destinations worldwide.
Malaysia Airlines has 15 777 planes in the fleet and is an experienced operator of this type of aircraft.
Aviation Week reported that the missing plane was a 777-2H6ER with tail number 9M-MRO and serial number 28420. It had been built in 2002 and had been used by Malaysian Airlines since that time.
The last major crash of Malaysia Airlines flight was in 1995, when a Fokker 50 (9M-MGH) crashed during approach in Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia, killing 34 people.
In 1977, a Malaysia Airlines flight was hijacked and crashed in Tanjung Kupang, Johor, Malaysia, killing all 100 people aboard.
The crash represents one of the biggest passenger losses in recent time and the second fatal accident involving a Boeing 777 in less than a year after an almost spotless record.
Last year, an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crash landed in San Francisco, killing three passengers with 200 people taken to hospital.
In 2005, during a flight from Perth to Kuala Lumpur the crew received a "stall warning" forcing the pilot to turn back.
Boeing said it was "monitoring" the situation.
Other accidents involving Malaysia Airlines planes include a fatal crash last October in Borneo Island, which claimed the lives of a copilot and passenger.
In 1977, a jet crashed in southern Malaysia, killing all 93 passengers and seven crew.
Anyone wanting more information on the flight should call the airline on +60-378841234.
If you have any information that is relevant to this story, please email paul.tatnell@news.com.au.
Commercial flight missing ... The image from @flightaware shows the last known track of flight MH370 over southern Asia. Picture: Flightaware.com Source: Supplied
