Malaysia military tracks missing jet to Strait of Malacca: Source Reuters | Mar 11, 2014, 04.10 PM IST Stolen passports The fact that at least two passengers on board had used stolen passports, confirmed by Interpol, has raised suspicions of foul play. But Southeast Asia is known as a hub for false documents that are also used by smugglers, illegal migrants and asylum seekers. Police chief Khalid said one of the men had been identified as a 19-year-old Iranian, who appeared to be an illegal immigrant. The identity of the other was still being checked. We believe he is not likely to be a member of any terrorist group, and we believe he was trying to migrate to Germany, Khalid said of the teenager. His mother was waiting for him in Frankfurt and had been in contact with authorities, he said. Asked if that meant he ruled out a hijack, Khalid said: (We are giving) same weightage to all (possibilities) until we complete our investigations. Both men entered Malaysia on February 28, at least one from Phuket, in Thailand, eight days before boarding the flight to Beijing, Malaysian immigration chief Aloyah Mamat told the news conference. Both held onward reservations to Western Europe. Police in Thailand, where the passports were stolen and the tickets used by the two men were booked, said they did not think they were linked to the disappearance of the plane. We havent ruled it out, but the weight of evidence were getting swings against the idea that these men are or were involved in terrorism, Supachai Puikaewcome, chief of police in the Thai resort city of Pattaya, told Reuters. Most passengers Chinese About two-thirds of the 227 passengers and 12 crew now presumed to have died aboard the plane were Chinese. Other nationalities included 38 Malaysians, seven Indonesians, six Australians, five Indians, four French and three Americans. China has deployed 10 satellites using high-resolution earth imaging capabilities, visible light imaging and other technologies to support and assist in the search and rescue operations, the Peoples Liberation Army Daily said on Tuesday. The Boeing 777 has one of the best safety records of any commercial aircraft in service. Its only previous fatal crash came on July 6 last year when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 struck a seawall on landing in San Francisco, killing three people. US planemaker Boeing has declined to comment beyond a brief statement saying it was monitoring the situation.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 11:02:11 +0000
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