An intensive search operation has been launched by South-east Asian states for the Malaysia Airlines plane that vanished on a flight to Beijing today. The Boeing with 239 people including five Indians on board disappeared at 2:40 local time after leaving Kuala Lumpur, when it was over the waters between Malaysia and Vietnam. According to a statement on the Vietnamese government website,the plane went off the radar south of Vietnam.

It said , the plane's last known location was off the country's Ca Mau peninsula although the exact position is not clear.It had been expected to land in Beijing at 06:30 local time.

Malaysia's transport minister Hussein said there is no information on wreckage. He said they are doing everything best to locate the plane. Malaysia's military said a second wave of helicopters and ships had been dispatched after an initial search revealed nothing.

Territorial disputes over the South China Sea were set aside temporarily as China dispatched two maritime rescue ships and the Philippines deployed three air force planes and three navy patrol ships. Vietnam also sent aircraft and ships while Vietnamese fishermen in the area were asked to report any suspected sign of the missing plane.

The passengers were of 14 different nationalities. Among them were 152 Chinese nationals, 38 Malaysians, 12 people from Indonesia and six from Australia.

The distressed friends and relatives expecting to meet passengers from the flight in Beijing were instructed to go to a nearby hotel.