Taiwan's military continues search for missing Malaysian plane
ROC Central News Agency
2014/03/11 16:18:51
Taipei, March 11 (CNA) Taiwan's military has launched another air mission to the South China Sea to help with international efforts in the search of missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.
A C-130 transport plane was sent on a second mission early Tuesday after a search conducted a day earlier in areas southwest of the Spratly Islands failed to detect any possible traces of the missing plane, the Ministry of National Defense said.
The military will keep in touch with the Malaysian authorities to decide on further action, military spokesman Luo Shou-he said during a news conference.
Taiwan has no plans to have contact with China on the matter because the international search efforts are mostly being coordinated by Malaysia, he said.
Including the Republic of China, a total of 12 countries are taking part in the efforts to find the plane, according to the ministry.
In addition to the C-130 transport plane, Taiwan has also dispatched a Chengkung-class Navy frigate and two Coast Guard vessels to waters between Malaysia and Vietnam to help find the aircraft.
The ships are expected to reach the area Friday.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared from radar screens about an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing early Saturday.
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft, which was carrying 227 passengers -- including Taiwanese national Chuang Hsiu-ling -- and a 12-member crew, as it was flying over the sea between Malaysia and Vietnam.
As of Monday evening, no debris from the plane had been discovered, leaving investigators perplexed, without any clues to determine what might have happened to the plane.
(By Liu Li-jung and Y.F. Low)
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