1. Off course: No trace is being found of the Malaysian plane that vanished on March 8 with 239 people on aboard.
2. Possible location: Two possible air corridors — north toward Central Asia; south toward Indonesian archipelagoes and Indian Ocean. May be in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
3. What could go wrong: For now it is open for everybody’s guess: Hijack, technical snag, crash landing, etc.
4. Last contact: Last transmission from the ACARS, a maintenance computer, had been received at 1.07 am. It disappeared from air traffic controllers’ screens at 1:21 a.m.
5. What’s fueling: The plane had enough fuel to fly for 6-7 hours and about 30 minutes after that last satellite communication.
6. Search efforts: Unprecedented. Hunt expanded to cover large swaths of land and sea, as 26 nations are helping search of an area covering much of Asia that includes 11 countries and deep oceans.
7. On Alert: Diplomatic notes had been sent to all countries along the search corridors, requesting radar and satellite information.
8. Shifting Focus: With terror angle thinning, Malaysia turns to a criminal investigation with focus now on the pilots’ behavior.
9. Vulnerable: The fact that two Iranians had boarded the plane with forged documents has exposed the vulnerability of the whole flying business.
10. Hoping against hope: With no signs of any crash, the relatives and friends are waiting for them to come back. Wish them all the best.
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