China 'Will Not Give Up' on Malaysia MH370
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - China will not give up the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight, MH370, "as long as there is a glimmer of hope", its premier has said.
Of the 239 passengers on the aircraft, which vanished without trace on Saturday, 153 were Chinese citizens.
Premier Li Keqiang told a news conference on Thursday: "Those people's families and friends are burning with anxiety. The Chinese government and the Chinese people are all deeply concerned about their safety. We are all eagerly awaiting news about the plane, even the slightest piece of good news."
China had eight ships taking part in the search efforts, with a ninth on its way, and had deployed 10 satellites, he said.
"We will not give up on any suspected clue that has been found," Li said, after the end of the annual session of the National People's Congress.
His remarks came as the Wall Street Journal reported that the aircraft remained airborne for hours after its disappearance from radars, Al Jazeera reported.
The US paper said that aviation investigators and national security officials believed the plane flew for a total of five hours based on data automatically downloaded and sent to the ground from the Boeing 777's engines, as part of a routine maintenance and monitoring programme.
The plane was heading east over the South China Sea when it disappeared, but authorities believe it may have turned back and headed into the upper reaches of the Malacca Strait or beyond.
The hunt for MH370 has been punctuated by false leads since it vanished hours after leaving the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur for Beijing early on Saturday.