Singapore sends air force plane to search missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft

Singapore has sent a C130 Hercules aircraft for a search and locate mission for the missing plane of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), which carried 239 people, the city-state's air force said on Saturday.

The Boeing 777-200 aircraft, flight number MH370, departed Kuala Lumpur at 00:41 am local time Saturday and was scheduled to land at Beijing International Airport at 6:30 am. The Malaysia Airlines said Subang Air Traffic Control had lost contact with the aircraft at 2:40 am.

Malaysia Airlines is still unable to establish any contact or determine the whereabouts of flight MH370, the airlines added. " The last known position of MH370 before it disappeared off the radar was 065515 North (longitude) and 1033443 East (latitude)," it said in a statement.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday morning on his Facebook, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers and crew, and their families."

He updated his Facebook account in the afternoon. He said he had got contact with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to express his sympathies and concerns over the missing plane, and to offer help with the search operations.

"Hope the plane and people on board will be found soon," he added.