Vietnam to shift searching area for missing plane eastward: officer

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HANOI - Vietnam's search and rescue teams will move the focus of their search toward the eastern part of the air route of the missing Malaysian jetliner, a Vietnamese army officer was quoted by state-run news agency VNA as saying Monday.

Vo Van Tuan, deputy chief of staff of the People's Army of Vietnam said the readjustment in focus is aimed to have a greater chance to find the missing plane.

At press conference Monday evening in Vietnam's southern Phu Quoc Island, Vietnamese authorities said they would widen their search by some 20,000 km from Tuesday. More than 100 domestic and foreign reporters who came to cover the multinational search mission attended the press conference.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Transport Pham Quy Tieu told the press conference that Vietnam had allowed four countries' vessels to enter its waters to search for missing Malaysian jet, including Malaysia, China, Singapore and the United States. Currently 34 aircraft and 40 ships are engaging in search missions.

Vietnam has sent eight naval ships, two aircraft, two maritime police ships, two search and rescue ships, excluding various fishing boats of local fishermen, reported Transport News.

"No positive signs relating Malaysian missing plane has been found so far," said Tieu, and he pledged Vietnam's continued effort to help with search and rescue operation.

Two hotlines have been set up to receive and provide information at International Airport of Phu Quoc, reported Transport News, an affiliated press organization under Vietnam's Ministry of Transport on Monday.

Flight MH370, carrying 12 crew members and 227 passengers, including 154 Chinese, operated by Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 777- 200 left Kuala Lumpur International Airport for Beijing and lost contact with air traffic control on Saturday when it was flying over the Ho Chi Minh air traffic control area.