KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 — Background checks on nearly all but three of the 239 passengers and crew on board a missing Malaysia Airlines jet have produced no “information of significance”, acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said Wednesday.

“We have received passengers’ background checks from all countries apart from Ukraine and Russia,” Hishammuddin told reporters at a daily briefing.

“So far no information of significance on passengers has been found.” he said. There were two Ukrainians and one Russian on the plane. — AFP