Live report

Special: Malaysia Airlines plane missing

Chinese vessels search for missing flight

A Chinese national who took a Malaysia Airlines flight from China to Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday with other Chinese nationals as part of a tour group heading to Sri Lanka, said that it is now the "safest time" to travel with the airline as it has "the best security checks and services."

Gou Lianping told reporters at Kuala Lumpur International Airport that they all booked their tickets two months ago and nobody taking part in the tour wanted to cancel their trip.

And Hew Siakchowmr, a businessman based in Kuala Lumpur, said he was shocked to hear about the disappearance of the plane, but that he still boarded a Malaysia Airlines flight to travel back home to Malaysia from Beijing.

He said that he often travels with the airline and has never noticed any problem with their services, and he added that the company has a good reputation in Malaysia. "The only thing I can learn from the incident is that anything can happen at any moment, so you should cherish your life," he said.

Air traffic controllers in Subang, outside Kuala Lumpur, lost contact with the plane as it was flying over the sea between Malaysia and Vietnam around 1:30 am on Saturday.

The plane was carrying 12 crew members and 227 passengers, including 154 Chinese nationals.

 

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