Missing MAS flight: Search area expanded, says Najib

SEPANG: The area of search for MH370, which disappeared from the radar screens at 1.30am Saturday, has been expanded from the point of its last contact, said Prime Minster Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"We concentrated our search and rescue at the place where contact was last made but there was no sign of anything.

"After speaking to the various agencies we decided to expand the search," Najib told a packed press conference at a hotel near KLIA.

Najib said more logistical support had been put into the operations, including 15 Armed Forces aircraft and the Navy and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency dispatching six and three of their ships respectively.

He said the Vietnamese, Chinese, Singapore and American governments were also helping out with the search operations.

"We are looking at all possibilities and it is too early to speculate on what happened," he said.

The MAS flight was carrying 239 passengers from 15 countries when it disappeared from the Department of Civil Aviation's radar off the Vietnam coast at 1.30am on Saturday after taking off at 12.41am from the KL International Airport enroute to Beijing.

MAS was informed that the plane had gone missing at 2.40am.