Phl military joins search for missing Malaysian plane

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Philippine military dispatched naval and air assets to join in the international efforts to locate the Malaysian plane missing this morning during its flight bound for Beijing.

Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala, the public information office chief of the Philippine military, said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has mobilized its naval assets, particularly the BRP Del Pilar (PF 15), BRP Jacinto (PS 35), and BRP Mabini (PS 36) along with a surveillance plane to conduct search operations in some areas in South China Sea and the sealanes of western Philippine province of Palawan.

"The secretary of National Defense has ordered the AFP to join in the search and rescue operations for the missing Malaysian Airlines aircraft under the possibility or assumption that said flight MH370 may have veered off its path and entered Philippine territory," said the Philippine military.

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 due to arrive in Beijing at 6:30 a.m. The aircraft reportedly lost contact at around 2:40 a.m. over the waters between Vietnam and Malaysia.