A Malaysia Airlines plane with 239 people on board has crashed into the sea after losing contact with air traffic control 12 hours ago, say reports.
The Boeing 777-200 was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it vanished around two hours into the flight.
Vietnamese state media quoted a navy official as saying Flight MH370 crashed near Tho Chu island, off Vietnam's south coast, at around 2.40am local time.
All ships in the local area have been sent to the scene to look for survivors.
Distraught relatives and friends wait at Beijing International Airport However, Malaysia's Transport Minister told reporters: "There is no information on any wreckage, but we are looking at all possibilities."
Journalist Leo Lewis, at Beijing airport, told Sky News families were waiting anxiously for news of their relatives.
He said there were "scenes of considerable distress" and "increasing irritation" because of a lack of information about their fate.
The plane left Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am local time and was due to arrive in Beijing at 6.30am local time.
The plane was on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing Malaysia Airlines said the flight was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members.
They were from 14 countries - 152 plus one baby from China, 38 from Malaysia, 12 from Indonesia, seven from Australia, three plus one baby from the US, three from France, two from New Zealand, two from Ukraine, two from Canada, one from Russia, one from Italy, one from Taiwan, one from Netherlands, and one from Austria.
The aircraft was piloted by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a 53-year-old Malaysian with a total of 18,365 flying hours. He joined the company in 1981.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members," Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in a statement.
Flight MH370 marked in red on Beijing airport's information board The airline said it would provide "regular updates" on the situation and has set up the phone line +603 7884 1234 for concerned members of the public.
China's state news agency reported that the plane lost communication over Vietnam with air traffic control in the Ho Chi Minh area and that radar contact also was lost.
China has dispatched two maritime rescue ships to the South China Sea to help in the search and rescue work.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said: "This news has made us all very worried. We hope every one of the passengers is safe."
Malcolm Moore, the Daily Telegraph's Beijing Correspondent, told Sky News: "There has been some smog in Beijing this morning.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has voiced his "extreme" worries "But I don't think visibility would have been a problem, and there were no major storms on the flight path when the plane disappeared."
Malaysia Airlines has 15 Boeing 777-200 jets in its fleet of about 100 planes.
If the plane is found to have crashed, the loss would mark the second fatal accident involving a Boeing 777 in less than a year, after an unblemished safety record since the jet entered service in 1995.
Last summer, an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crash landed in San Francisco, killing three passengers.
Boeing said it was aware of reports that the Malaysia Airlines plane has gone missing and was monitoring the situation, but had no further comment.
:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.
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