Malaysia Airlines flight \\\'presumed crashed\\\'

A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew has gone missing over the South China Sea, presumed crashed. The airline on Saturday said search and rescue teams from countries closest to the missing plane's flight path had been sent to scour a large area near its last known location. The Boeing 777-200ER flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing had been missing for hours when Vietnam's Tuoi Tre news quoted Admiral Ngo Van Phat as saying he had asked boats from an island off south Vietnam to rush to the crash site. Malaysia Airlines had yet to confirm that the aircraft had crashed and the Admiral later clarified his remarks, saying he had been referring to the presumed crash site. A crash, if confirmed, would mark the US-built Boeing 777-200ER airliner's deadliest incident since entering service 19 years ago. The flight was carrying 152 Chinese, 38 Malaysians, 12 Indonesians and seven Australians among the 227 passengers, the airline said on Saturday. Rescuers from several nations mounted an air and sea search Saturday for a Malaysia Airlines jet that has gone missing over Southeast Asia, with grave fears for the 239 people on board, according to aljazeera.