Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation continues to coordinate search efforts for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 with the Ministry of Transport and multinational search and rescue teams.
Despite a large search team consisting of ships and planes from Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, China, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and the United States, few results have emerged from their efforts.
Back on land, families of the passengers from the missing flight MH370 continue to arrive at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as they wait for more information about the fate of the flight, which vanished from the skies around 1:40 a.m. local time on Saturday, only two hours after its departure from Kuala Lumpur International Airport en route to Beijing, China.
As families of the missing passengers and crew brace themselves for the worst, authorities have continued to examine all possible leads that may explain what happened, including the discovery of two passengers that boarded the flight using passports stolen from Austrian and Italian citizens sometime in 2012 and 2013 in Thailand.
The two passengers in question flew under the names Christian Kozel of Austria and Luigi Maraldi of Italy. Previously, Malaysian officials said that up to four passengers onboard flight MH370 were suspected of carrying false identification.
However, officials later clarified that surveillance footage indicated that only two passengers are believed to have boarded flight MH370 with fake documents.
The information about the use of stolen passports has led to new speculation, including a possible act of terrorism that may have brought down the Boeing 777-200, which was carrying 227 passengers of various nationalities, according to a recently released passenger manifest, and 12 Malaysian crew members.
The jet disappeared from radar and lost contact with air traffic control somewhere over the South China Sea between Malaysia and Vietnam. Reports from the search and rescue teams pointed to possible debris and oil slicks that were believed to be linked to the missing flight. However, these discoveries were found to be unrelated to the Boeing 777, according to officials.
With search and rescue efforts underway, candlelight vigils in Kuala Lumpur and around the world continue to be held.
Take a closer look at events that have transpired since the disappearance in photos below.
The Singaporean submarine support and rescue vessel, MV Swift Rescue, is prepared before it departs to assist in the search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in Singapore, in this March 9, 2014 handout picture.Reuters/Singapore MINDEFMalaysian ethnic Chinese launch a Kongming lantern with well wishes written by attendees at a candlelight vigil for the passengers of Malaysia Airlines MH370 near Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur March 10, 2014.Reuters/Edgar SuA woman holds a candle and a sign during a vigil held by ethnic Malaysian Chinese for the passengers of Malaysia Airlines MH370 near Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur March 10, 2014.Reuters/Edgar SuA woman stands in front of a giant screen showing the number of hours since Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing, Beijing, March 10, 2014.Reuters/Jason LeeA girl lights a candle next to a message that reads "Pray for MH370" during a candlelight vigil held by ethnic Malaysian Chinese for the passengers of Malaysia Airlines MH370 near Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur March 10, 2014.Reuters/Edgar SuA map of a flight plan is seen on a computer screen during a meeting before a mission to find the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 that disappeared from radar screens in the early hours of Saturday, at Phu Quoc Airport on Phu Quoc Island March 10, 2014.Reuters/Athit PerawongmethaClouds hover outside the window of a Vietnam Air Force search and rescue aircraft An-26 on a mission to find the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, off Vietnam's Tho Chu island March 10, 2014.Reuters/KhamVietnamese military personnel look out of a helicopter during a search and rescue mission off Vietnam's Tho Chu island March 10, 2014.Reuters/Athit PerawongmethaMilitary personnel work within the cockpit of a helicopter belonging to the Vietnamese airforce during a search and rescue mission off Vietnam's Tho Chu island March 10, 2014.Reuters/Athit PerawongmethaA military officer takes notes during a search and rescue mission, onboard an aircraft belonging to the Vietnamese airforce, off Vietnam's Tho Chu island March 10, 2014.Reuters/KhamMalaysia's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) Director General Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman speaks at a news conference at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang March 10, 2014.Reuters/Edgar SuA Malaysia Airlines flag is seen at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang March 8, 2014.Reuters/Samsul SaidVolunteer rescue workers and religious organizations pray during multi-religion mass prayers for the passengers of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang March 9, 2014.Reuters/Edgar SuA military aircraft (L) taxis on the runway in hazy weather at the Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh city March 9, 2014 after a search and rescue mission to find Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.Reuters/KhamMalaysia's Transport and Defense Minister Hishamuddin Hussein (C) speaks at a news conference at a hotel near Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang March 9, 2014.Reuters/Edgar SuA relative (front) of a passenger of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cries as she walks past journalists at a hotel in Beijing March 9, 2014.Reuters/Jason LeeFamily members of those onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight walk to their hotel in Putrajaya March 9, 2014.Reuters/Samsul SaidFamily members of those onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are interviewed by media at the waiting area at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang March 8, 2014.Reuters/Samsul SaidAn information screen displays a message "Let Us Pray For Flight MH370", regarding the missing Malaysia Airlines flight, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang March 8, 2014.Reuters/Samsul SaidMalaysia Airlines Chief Executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya speaks to the media during a news conference on missing Flight MH370, in Sepang March 8, 2014.Reuters/Samsul SaidA man takes pictures of a flight information board displaying the Scheduled Time of Arrival (STA) of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 (top, in red) at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, March 8, 2014.Reuters/Kim Kyung-HoonA relative (woman in white) of a passenger onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cries as she talks on her mobile phone at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing March 8, 2014.Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon
