The first Boeing 737-800, the longest 737 ever built, takes off on it's first flight Thursday, July 31, 1997, in Renton, Wash. [AP]

Two Cameroonian army helicopters on Saturday began searching a wide area south of the line between Douala and the capital Yaounde, 250 kilometres (180 miles) to the east, to try to locate the aircraft.

"Anthony had been on assignment in Cameroon for the past week, and had contacted his family before boarding the flight to let them know he was headed home. We hope for the best," AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll said.

Relatives waiting at Nairobi's airport began wailing as news reports of the crash filtered in. Dozens of family members collapsed in the airport terminal.

One person at the airport said families had not been given any information. "I cannot talk now because there is no news," he said, declining to give his name.

The flight departed Douala at 12:05 a.m. and was to arrive in Nairobi at 6:15 a.m. The flight originated in Ivory Coast but stopped in Cameroon to pick up more passengers, the airline said.

"The last message was received in Douala after takeoff and thereafter the tower was unable to contact the plane," Kenya Airways' Naikuni said earlier Saturday.

The Douala-Nairobi flight runs several times a week, and is commonly used as an intermediary flight to Europe and the Middle East.

Kenya Airways - considered one of the safest airlines in Africa - said most passengers were planning to transfer to ongoing flights in Nairobi. Naikuni said the plane was only six months old when it crashed.

The last crash of an international Kenya Airways flight was on Jan. 30, 2000, when Flight 431 was taking off from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on its way to Nairobi. Investigators blamed a faulty alarm and pilot error for that crash, which killed 169 people.

Cameroonian authorities have set up two emergency centres, one in Yaounde and the other in Douala, to coordinate search operations.

Flight KQ 507 was flying from Abdijan in Ivory Coast to Nairobi via Douala, in Cameroon.

The chief executive officer for Kenya Airways, Titus Naikuni, earlier told a news conference in Nairobi that the aircraft had failed to land.

"The last message from the aircraft was received at the control tower (in Doula) immediately after take off. After, the tower lost contact with the aircraft. So far, no one has been able to establish contact," Naikuni said.

Most of the passengers were connecting through Nairobi to other destinations outside Kenya.

A crisis centre has been set up at the company headquarters at Nairobi airport.

Some 10-15 people were waiting at the arrivals section of Nairobi airport early Saturday, guarded by several police officers.

"We have been told to sit and wait," said one relative of a passenger on the plane. "A lot of people are crying, people are asking what is happening."

Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua said the government was on alert.

"We are working on modalities to assist in any rescue operation," he told AFP.

In January 2000 a Kenya Airways Airbus crashed into the sea after taking off from Abidjan airport in Ivory Coast killing 169 passengers and crew.

Kenya Airways was to hold a news conference at 12.00 pm local time (0900 GMT).

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