Too early to come to any conclusion, says Najib

SEPANG: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Saturday the search for a missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) aircraft would be widened as nothing was found in the area where contact with the plane was lost. "We have not found any wreckage," he told a news conference after MAS Flight MH370 went missing over the South China Sea at 2.40am when

flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

Najib said it was decided to widen the area of the search following a discussion among him, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and heads of agencies involved in the search-and-rescue operation.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all the affected passengers and crew as well as for their family members," he said.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Electrifying windows of opportunity in Sabah - The right policies, collaborations, and strategies can turn emerging opportunities into victories for all parties in Sabah.

CHIEF Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor’s 2021 Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya Plan and the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA) have laid out a road map to an exciting future for all Sabahans, with a target of increasing Sabah’s income levels and GDP per capita from about RM 23,000 to about RM 40,000 by 2030.

The Prime Minister said more aircraft and ships had been deployed to conduct the search.

These involved 15 aircraft of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), including four C130 aircraft, one CN325 aircraft, four EC725 helicopters and one Beechcraft King Air aircraft, he said.

He also said that two Bombardier aircraft and two Agusta helicopters as well as three ships of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and six vessels of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) were also being used.

The MAS flight took off from the KL International Airport at 12.41am and went missing about two hours later over the South China Sea between the Malaysian and Vietnamese airspace.

It was to have landed in Beijing at 6.30am (Beijing time).

Najib said that at this point he did not have any more information to offer because "we have not found anything yet".

"It is too early to come to any conclusion because we are looking at all possibilities. Some theories have been put forward but they will remain just that until we have concrete evidence," he said.

The Prime Minister said Vietnam had confirmed that it had not found any wreckage as reported earlier, and he rejected all kinds of theories, including the element of terrorism.

"It is too early to make any conclusive remarks," he stressed.

Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.

Daily Express Malaysia

Najib said Malaysia Airlines was focusing on providing emotional support to the families of the passengers, both in Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.

Some 100 staff of Malaysia Airlines were on their way to Beijing to meet the families and provide whatever assistance they could, he said.

Try 1 month for RM 18.00

Try 1 month for RM 18.00

Try 1 month for RM 18.00