Malaysia Airlines loses contact with plane flying to Beijing

The aircraft never made it to Chinese airspace as John Sudworth reports from Beijing International Airport

Malaysia Airlines says it has lost contact with a plane travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, with 239 people on board.  The airline said in a statement that flight MH370 disappeared at 02:40 local time on Saturday (18:40 GMT on Friday). 

It had been expected to land in Beijing at 06:30 (22:30 GMT).  The plane went off the radar south of Vietnam, according to a statement on the Vietnamese government website.  Its last known location was off the country's Ca Mau peninsular although the exact position was not clear, it said.

Malaysia Airlines said it was "currently working with the 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 Boeing B777-200 aircraft was carrying 227 passengers, including two children, and 12 crew members.

In a brief press conference on Saturday, Malaysia Airlines chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said the company was still working to establish the location of the plane.
He said the company was "deeply saddened" at the situation and that it would provide regular updates.