http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1443908/two-further-passenger-identities-probed-malaysia-airlines-flight-counterMalaysia Airlines flight as 'counter terrorism unit mobilised'
Full flight manifest under investigation as four passenger identities considered suspiciousPUBLISHED : Saturday, 08 March, 2014, 11:56pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 09 March, 2014, 12:19pm
Malaysian authorities are investigating the identities of at least two other passengers on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, in addition to two who were found to be using stolen passports, a security official said on Sunday.
Investigators were verifying the identities with the relevant embassies in Malaysia, said the official, who has knowledge of the investigation and declined to be identified. The passengers being checked had all bought their tickets through China Southern Airlines, the official said.
The entire flight manifest is now under investigation, said the Malaysian Transport Minister on Sunday, and international agencies and counter-terrorism units were said to be working with authorities.
The flight carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew was presumed to have crashed off the Vietnamese coast on Saturday, after losing contact with air traffic controllers off the eastern Malaysia coast.
The latest developent comes as Malaysia Airlines revealed it had called on the assistance of a disaster recovery management specialist from Atlanta, USA, as it resumed the desperate search for the missing flight on Sunday.
The company said that 'in fearing the worst', it had taken on the squad of experts to assist 'in this crucial time'.
On Saturday evening, it emerged that two tickets to the flight had been purchased using stolen passports.
As the clock ticked past the 24-hour mark and hopes of finding survivors diminished, authorities revealed that two people named on a list of passengers were not on the plane, and that both had had their passports stolen in Thailand.
The revelations came as Malaysia Airlines said a "Go team" had been sent to Beijing to assist frightened family members of the passengers.
Azaharudin Abdul Rahman, deputy chief of Malaysia's Civil Aviation Authority, said on Sunday morning that three aircraft searching the site had not yet located anything.
"We have expanded our areas operations," he added.
In a statement on Sunday morning, the airline said: "More than 24 hours after the lost of contact with Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the search and rescue teams are still unable to detect the whereabouts of the missing aircraft."
An international search and rescue mission from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam was mobilized on Saturday morning.
An earlier statement from the airline addressed the issue of worried relatives who had complained of little information from staff. "We are dispatching all information as and when we receive it. The situation in Beijing is also being monitored closely. As many families of passengers are in China, we have deployed our 'Go Team' to Beijing with a team of caregivers and volunteers to assist the family members of the passengers.
"Once the whereabouts of the aircraft is determined, Malaysia Airlines will fly members of the family to the location. Travel arrangements and expenses of immediate family members will be borne by Malaysia Airlines."
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang yesterday made an emergency call to Malaysian PM Najib Razak, pressing Malaysia to launch a full rescue effort. By last night an international rescue mission was under way.
The Philippines deployed three air force planes and three navy patrol ships. Singapore sent a C130 Hercules aircraft and Vietnam and Malaysia also dispatched aircraft and marine rescue vessels. The destroyer USS Pinckney was en route to southern Vietnam to help.
Two Chinese warships and one other naval vessel have been scrabled to the scene, according to Xinhua.
Foreign ministry officials in Rome and Vienna confirmed on Saturday night that the names of two nationals listed on the manifest of the flight matched those of passports reported stolen in Thailand.
Italian foreign ministry officials said that Luigi Maraldi, originally believed to have boarded the plane in Kuala Lumpur, was traveling in Thailand when the Beijing-bound flight took off at just after midnight on Friday.
He had reported his passport stolen last August, said a foreign ministry functionary, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Italian news agency ANSA says Maraldi called home after hearing reports that someone with his name was on the plane.
"He is alright, he is on vacation, on the beach," his mother told the Italian national TV broadcaster RAI.
Similarly, Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Weiss confirmed that a name listed on the manifest matches an Austrian passport reported stolen two years ago in Phuket, Thailand. Weiss would not confirm the identity, although Britain's Daily Mirror website named him as Christian Kozel, aged 30.
Infographic - Malaysia Airlines flight MH370: Timeline and flight path of missing jet
The revelations will raise questions over security at Kuala Lumpur's airport, and how the stolen passports were able to be used by people other than their rightful owners.
At a press conference on Saturday evening an airline spokesman refused to rule out terrorism as a possible reason behind the very sudden disappearance of the flight.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak also refused to rule out a terrorist act.
China Southern, who jointly shared the route with Malaysian Airlines in what is termed in the industry a 'code share', said in a statement it had sold tickets to one Austrian and one Italian.
The airline confirmed it had sold seven tickets in all, including one to a Chinese passenger, one Dutch, 2 Ukranian and one Malaysian.
A total of 239 people were on board the flight when it vanished two hours after taking off from Kuala Lumpur. Twelve crew members and 227 passengers, aged two to 79 years, were named on a list of those on board released by the airline.
The Boeing 777-200ER gave air traffic controllers no indication of any problem before vanishing from radar screens.
An air search for survivors was called off on Saturday night and will resume at daylight.
Vietnamese officials said planes had spotted twin oil slicks in the sea and were sending boats to investigate.
