If a crash is confirmed, it would be only the second fatal crash in the history of the Boeing 777, a popular wide-body model. A Boeing 777-200 operated by South Korea’s Asiana Airlines skidded off the runway in San Francisco in 2013, killing three.
Indonesia-based 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.
The plane carried 227 passengers and 12 crew members from 14 nationalities.
There were 153 Chinese nationals including an infant, 38 Malaysians, and 7 Indonesians, the airline said.
Six Australians also were aboard, along with three French nationals, and four Americans including an infant.
Malaysia Airlines has an admirable safety record. Its worst-ever crash occurred in 1977, when 93 passengers and seven crew perished in a hijacking and subsequent crash in southern Malaysia.
The pilot of MH370 had flown for the carrier since 1981, it said. The plane is more than 11 years old.
“This news has made us all very worried,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing.
“We hope every one of the passengers is safe. We are doing all we can to get more details.”
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