Vietnam launches overnight search as Malaysian flight remains missing

The Vietnamese authorities have sent vessels and aircraft into a massive search operation 153 nautical miles off the Tho Chu Island to look for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight, a senior officer of the Defense Ministry told Xinhua here Saturday.

Earlier, the Vietnamese military had to call back an aircraft from its search mission on the sea because of darkness. Meanwhile, three warships, coast guard ship and other vessels were ordered to head for an area for an overnight search operation where two suspected oil slicks were detected. The ships were expected to get to their destination by 9:00 p.m.local time, local newspaper Tuoil Tre (Youth) reported.

The oil slicks were seen at 5:20 p.m.local time (1030GMT), one 150 km from Tho Chu Island and the other 190 km from Ca Mau Cape.

Meanwhile, Chinese Consul-General in Ho Chi Minh City Cai Wenrui told Xinhua Saturday evening that the Vietnamese authorities at present can only say that the Malaysian Airliner flight remained missing and is unable to confirm any other information beyond that.

But he said the consulate-general in Ho Chi Minh City has geared up into an emergency response state and mobilized more than 350 volunteers among employees of the local Chinese enterprises, mostly fluent in the Vietnamese language, who are ready to offer any necessary help.

Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, a Boeing 777-200 with 239 passengers aboard, took off from Kuala Lumpur at 00:41 a.m. local time Saturday and was due to arrive in Beijing at 6:30 a.m.the same day. The aircraft reportedly lost contact at around 2:40 a.m.