A Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew lost all contact with air traffic control shortly after leaving Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur at 00:41 a.m. on March 8, and was expected to land in Beijing at 6:30 a.m.that same day.

Searchers from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam have still found no evidence of any plane wreckage. The sea search was to continue overnight while the air operation has been called off and start again at daylight, according to the airline's latest statement at 7:20 p. m on March 8.

Malaysia Airlines: MH370 Flight Incident - 5th Media Statement

The families of all passengers on board MH370 are being informed. The flight was carrying a total number of 239 passengers and crew – comprising 227 passengers (including 2 infants) and 12 crew members.

An international search and rescue mission was mobilized this morning. At this stage, our search and rescue teams from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam have failed to find evidence of any wreckage.

The sea mission will continue while the air mission will recommence at daylight.

For the passenger manifest of MH370, click here.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

China News Service: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced during a press conference on March 8 that the whereabouts of the Malaysian Airlines plane that went off the radar currently remain unknown and they will have to expand the search scope, according to Reuters.

In addition, Razak at the press conference held at Kuala Lumpur International Airport said the Malaysian authorities could not confirm that the Malaysia Airlines passenger plane losing all contact with air traffic control was due to a crash.

The Malaysian navy did not retrieve the aircraft in the area where it last made contact and thus will have to expand the search scope.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

China.org.cn: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the afternoon of March 8 spoke to the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on the phone to discuss swift cooperation in the launch of an emergency search and rescue mission to retrieve the missing Malaysian Airlines plane. Razak expressed his deepest regrets and apologies to the relatives of all Chinese passengers on board of the plane and assured Li that Malaysia would use all its power to retrieve the vessel according to the Chinese central government's official web portal (gov.cn).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Xinhua: The "3411" Chinese maritime police vessel has put contingency plans into full swing and is expected to arrive at the possible crash area of the missing Malaysian Airlines plane on March 9 afternoon.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

China.org.cn: Kyoto News Service announces that Vietnamese troops have found oil traces in the sea, running across 20 kilometers.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

China.org.cn: According to Sina News, the Malaysian transport minister announced that the Malaysian government has already contacted China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia regarding their respective maritime involvement in a search and rescue mission to recover the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft.

According to our correspondent Zhang Rui currently at the Lido Hotel, emergency personnel has just entered the family area as some people have allegedly become unwell. At this point, anyone who enters or exits the area where the relatives of those on board the plane are gathered, is photographed.

According to Sina News, Beijing's Lido Hotel has just issued roomcards to the gathered families so they can rest up. Several of the relatives have asked to fly to Kuala Lumpur, but Malaysia Airlines as of yet has not responded to their requests.

According to CCTV News, the Vietnam National Search and Rescue Services informed China that the missing Malaysian Airlines passenger plane may have lost all contact in an area where Malaysian and Vietnamese authorities overlap. The China Maritime Search and Rescue Center later mapped out the suspected location of the passenger plane. The Ministry of Transport has dispatched its "South China Sea Rescue 115" and "South China Sea Rescue 101" vessels to the area.