Missing MH370: Four life rafts can support 290 people

BEIJING: A Malaysia Airlines representative briefing relatives of Chinese passengers on flight MH730 says the plane is equipped with four life rafts that can carry a total of 290 people.

The representative said the rafts contained flashlights, and first-aid kits as well as enough water and food to sustain people for one week – assuming the plane did not end up at the bottom of the sea.

The official also said at yesterday’s daily briefing that the Malaysian military would be sending representatives to Beijing to meet anxious relatives, losing patience seven days after Flight MH370 – carrying 227 passengers including 154 Chinese and 12 crew members – went missing en route to the Chinese capital.

As the relatives pressed for details, emotions ran high.

“Give my relatives back! Announce the truth!” a man yelled in front of the room, waving his hands, and urging others in the room of more than 200 relatives: “Shout with me, please!”

Some stood up to shout, with tears in their eyes.

Soon after the man sat down, a woman got up to question tearfully: “Do you know how many tears we shed when we are back in our hotel rooms?”

At the Lido Hotel on Thursday, the briefing lasted more than five hours, much longer than any previous sessions. The scene was just as emotionally charged.

Ignatius Ong, the leader of the MAS response team in China, and his Chinese translator broke down during the tense atmosphere when family members grilled the Malaysian officials about the rescue efforts.

“We also have colleagues on the flight and we want them alive as much as you do,” said a tearful Ong. — China Daily/ANN