and all out effort by ASEAN
In response to the indicent, the Royal Malaysian Air
Force dispatched a CASA/IPTN CN-235 transport plane,
a Beechcraft Super King
Air B200T aircraft,
four Lockheed C-130 Hercules military
transport aircraft, two Bombardier Global
Express aircraft, two Agusta A109 helicopters, and four Eurocopter EC725 long-range tactical
transport helicopters. Six Royal Malaysian Navy vessels have
also been dispatched , in addition to three Malaysian Maritime
Enforcement Agency vessels to search the waters off its
east coast in the South China Sea.[49][50] Malaysia
Airlines has also sent a team of caregivers and volunteers
dubbed GoTeam to provide assistance towards
family members of the passengers.[51] Malaysia
has also established a National Coordination Centre at the National
Disaster Control Centre (NDCC) in Pulau Meranti, Cyberjaya to
monitor the development of the situation.[52]
On 9 March, the Malaysian transport minister said in a media
statement that rescue teams have widened their search
area.[53] He
also stated that the Malaysian intelligence agencies have been
activated, while counter terrorism units in all relevant countries
have been informed, adding that he has met with officers from the
FBI, who have arrived in Malaysia. He has also noted that no
Malaysian submarines will be deployed as they are 'not equipped for
search and rescue'.[54]
The Australian government provided two Royal Australian Air
Force Lockheed P-3 Orion planes to join the
search and rescue operation.[55]
Two Chinese warships, Jinggang
Shan and Mianyang, were dispatched to assist
in the search. Jinggang Shan has two
helicopters, 30 medical personnel, ten divers, and 52 marines, as
well as life-saving and underwater detection equipment.[56]
Indonesian Navy has been communicating
with the Malaysian counterparts and the Embassy of Indonesia in
Kuala Lumpur has announced the country will be sending five ships
to help Malaysian authorities for the search and rescue mission to
locate the missing of the airplane.[57]
The Philippine AFP Western Command has
sent BRP Gregorio del
Pilar, BRP Emilio
Jacinto, BRP Apolinario
Mabini and a search-and-rescue plane to the South
China Sea or West Philippine Sea to help in the search
efforts.[29][58]
The Singaporean Air
Force announced that it had dispatched a Lockheed C-130 Hercules to
assist in the search on the first day the aircraft went
missing.[59] Subsequently,
the Singaporean Navy sent a
frigate, a missile corvette and a Sikorsky S-70B Naval
Helicopter.[60] MV Swift
Rescue, a submarine rescue ship will join
the search effort on the following Sunday.[61]
The Royal Thai Navy also has prepared
to send three vessels and one aircraft to join the search and
rescue mission.[62] Beside
that, the country also cooperate in the search and rescue mission with
Malaysia.[63]
The United States announced plans to send a P-3C Orion aircraft from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. The US Navy has deployed the guided missile
destroyer USS Pinckney from Naval Base San Diego, carrying
two MH-60R helicopters which can be
equipped for search and rescue, to the southern coast of Vietnam to
assist in the search.[64]
During the search, the Vietnamese Navy reported spotting
at least one oil slick, between 10 and 20 km (6–12 mi) long, which
is believed to be that of the missing aircraft.[65][66] It
has been reported that Vietnamese Civil
Aviation Department planes spotted two large oil slicks
that authorities suspect are from the MAS jetliner. The slicks,
each between 10 and 15 km (6–9 mi) long, and 500
metres (550 yd) apart, were spotted 140 nautical miles
(260 km; 160 mi) south of Thổ Chu Island off southern Vietnam, and
were consistent with the kind that would be caused by fuel from a
crashed jetliner.[67] A
report that the oil leak about 80 km long was clearly seen from a
Vietnamese search and rescue AN-26 aircraft at 8:35 on 9 March 2014 on an
investigated site approximately 150 km away from Cape Cà Mau.[68]
