NEW YORK, March 9 — United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon late yesterday sent his condolences to relatives of passengers and crew aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines jet.

“Ban Ki-moon deeply saddened by death of so many people in #MalaysianAirlines crash,” read a message posted on Twitter by the office of the UN spokesperson.

“He sends condolences to all bereaved families,” the message said.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished from radar early yesterday somewhere between Malaysia’s east coast and southern Vietnam. Search teams were still hunting for the plane today, and the airline said it was “fearing the worst.”

The flight took off from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing.

A total of 239 people were aboard the plane, including 153 Chinese nationals, 38 Malaysians, seven Indonesians and a range of other nationalities including Australian, Indian, American, Dutch and French. — AFP