SEPANG, March 8 — Reports that the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 carrying 239 people has crashed off the Tho Chu island in Vietnam are still being verified, said acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

Hishammuddin said the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and the Foreign Ministry have confirmed that no wreckage was found at the island south of Vietnam.

“But since that information came from the Vietnamese navy I have asked our navy to contact their counterparts immediately,” he told a press conference at the Sama-Sama Hotel here.

Hishammuddin, who is also defence minister, said he was in contact with his counterparts in the region for more information on the location of the aircraft.

“There is no information of a wreckage at this point... we have activated the military and the navy and they are working closely with counterparts China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Philippines.

“We have also asked for assistance especially in locations we cannot cope and they are very forthcoming,” he said.

Hishammuddin then said it was premature to address speculation of a hijacking, but said all possibilities were being considered.

“We are being as transparent as we can,” he said, adding that verification of an earlier report that MH370 had crashed will be available in a couple of hours.

Hishammuddin also revealed a possible conflict over when authorities lost track of the plane.

The minister said the Department of Civil Aviation lost contact at 1.30am, contrary to MAS’s statement that it last received radar signals from its Boeing B777-200 plane at 2.40am, or some two hours after the Beijing-bound aircraft departed from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 12.41am.

The plane was supposed to land at Beijing at 6.30am local time but never arrived.

According to MAS group chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, there were a total of 14 nationalities onboard the plane and a total of 227 passengers, and 12 crew members.

This includes 153 Chinese nationals including one infant, 38 Malaysians, seven Indonesians, seven Australians, five Indians, three French nationals, four from the US including one infant, two from New Zealand, two Canadians, two Russians, one Italian, one Taiwanese, one from Netherlands and one Austrian.

Jauhari said that 80 per cent of the family members of those onboard the missing flight have been contacted.

A search and rescue mission has also been mounted, involving both Malaysian and Vietnamese officials.

The plane reportedly dropped off the radar when it was 120 nautical miles off the coast of Kota Baru, somewhere near the South China Sea.