SEARCH AT SEA: Chinese naval vessel Jinggangshan, the largest amphibious landing ship in the Chinese Navy, takes part in the search-and-rescue operation in the Gulf of Thailand on March 11 (BAI RUIXUE)

"Honey, I'm boarding now!" Li Jie, 27, told her newlywed husband Zhang Zhiliang on the phone while at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport late on March 7. Li had just wrapped up a three-day business trip in Malaysia.

The couple was supposed to reunite at Beijing Capital International Airport the next day. Unfortunately, Zhang never heard from his wife ever since.

The flight that Li boarded was Malaysian Airlines (MAS) MH370. After departure at 12:41 a.m. on March 8, it lost contact with air traffic controllers en-route to Beijing.

The news that Flight MH370 had gone missing stirred on Saturday morning and soon hit headlines worldwide. Consequently, the flight status shown on the notice board of Beijing Capital International Airport changed from "Delayed" to "Cancelled." Distraught family members worried by a lack of information were later transferred to a nearby hotel for briefings from MAS.

According to the manifest released by MAS, 227 passengers and 12 crew members were on board.

There were respected painters and calligraphers; a senior citizen hiking group, white-collar workers and students on board among the 154 Chinese nationals, including two infants. One third of them were born after the 1980s.

Other passengers came from Malaysia, Indonesia, India, the United States, Australia, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, according to MAS.

However, concerns over security rose as two Iranian passengers were later identified as having used stolen passports, according to Malaysian police. The passports' real owners—an Italian and an Austrian who were listed on the manifest—were found to be safe and sound.

Emergency response

Soon after learning of the incident, both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang ordered the related departments to cooperate with other countries in the search-and-rescue efforts. They also urged all-out efforts to provide any emergency treatment necessary in the aftermath of the incident.

"The news is very disturbing. We hope everyone on board is safe," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a press conference on the sidelines of the country's annual parliamentary session on the morning of March 8. "The foreign ministry and other related departments have activated an emergency response mechanism."

At noon the same day, Wang chaired a joint inter-ministerial meeting on protection of Chinese citizens and institutions abroad, following the instructions by President Xi and Premier Li. Chief officials from related ministries spanning from foreign affairs, public security, civil affairs to transport, civil aviation and the oceanic administration were among the attendees.

The flight-related microblog posts on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like social media platform and the biggest of its kind in China, hit 1 million within 24 hours. Besides questioning the whereabouts, netizens also offer prayers for all 239 people on board.

MAS issued five media statements on March 8 so as to keep the public informed. In addition, the airlines' response team, comprising 94 caregivers and volunteers, arrived in Beijing the same day to provide emotional support and assistance to family members of the missing passengers.

Joint efforts

The last known position of MH370 before it disappeared off the radar was 065515 North (longitude) and 1033443 East (latitude), according to MAS on March 8. The spot lies over waters between Malaysia and Viet Nam.

More than 10 countries including Malaysia, Viet Nam, Singapore, China, the United States, Thailand, Australia, the Philippines, Brunei and India have joined search-and-rescue operations in the area. A total of 43 vessels and 40 aircraft have been deployed as of March 13 and are searching the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca.

"It is unprecedented to see so many countries send their naval and air forces on the operation," Wang Ya'nan, Associate Editor in Chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine told China Youth Daily. "Human life is everything. That is a universal consensus."

China has sent eight vessels equipped with five helicopters, infrared detectors, sonar machines and professional divers to the targeted area as of March 13. In addition, 10 high-resolution satellites have been deployed to offer services in weather monitoring, communication and other aspects for the search.

"This is a rare emergency that involves various departments at a multinational level," said Zhuo Li, Deputy Director with the China Marine Search and Rescue Center of the Ministry of Transport. "The only available clue as of day five is the flight's last known position."

The Chinese search-and-rescue team had searched nearly 46,000 square km of water for 100 continuous hours as of March 13, according to the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center, making the area already covered by China equivalent to the size of Denmark.