In the early hours of Saturday morning, a jetliner carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew took off from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur for Beijing in China. The aircraft ceased all communications and its signal was lost above the sea as it approached Vietnam. The airplane has not been seen since and no confirmed wreckage has been found.
Radar recordings suggested the aircraft might have tried to turn around before it disappeared. But pilots are supposed to notify air traffic controllers if they intend such a manoeuvre, and there was no distress signal.
An international search operation is underway involving 34 aircraft and 40 ships from south east Asia and the US.
When asked about the possible causes of the aircraft's disappearance, Director General of the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, said nothing is being ruled out.
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