Student from region may be
on missing jet

Fears WERE growing last night that a Yorkshire university student is among the passengers on board the missing Malaysian Airways jet as Prime Minister David Cameron offered Britain’s help in dealing with the disappearance of the aircraft.
Yue Wenchao. Picture: Ross Parry AgencyYue Wenchao. Picture: Ross Parry Agency
Yue Wenchao. Picture: Ross Parry Agency

Hull University said it was “deeply concerned” that one of its students, Chinese national Yue Wenchao, may have been among the passengers on Flight MH370.

Meanwhile, Mr Cameron has telephoned his Malaysian counterpart to offer assistance and also told Najib Razak that his thoughts were with the families of those who were on board the jet, which went missing on March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

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Jeannette Strachan, Hull University’s registrar and secretary, said: “We are deeply concerned to hear that Yue Wenchao, a student in the final stages of his MSc degree with Hull University Business School, may be among the passengers on board the missing Malaysia Airlines’ flight.

“Although we are not able to confirm these reports at this time, our thoughts are with the friends and relatives of all those affected.”

The vast scale of the search for the missing flight became clear yesterday as officials said the search area had been extended to 2.24m square nautical miles.

Malaysian officials urged countries on the plane’s potential path to reanalyse military radar data to try to narrow down the search area, which currently includes two arcs sweeping north towards Kazakhstan and deep into the southern Indian Ocean far off the coast of Australia.

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Countries are also being asked to examine satellite data for any trace of the Boeing 777. China said it had deployed 21 of its satellites.

Several countries, including Laos and Kazakhstan, have already said they have found no evidence MH370 entered their airspace after diverting from its route to Beijing.

Malaysia’s transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein said: “This is an enormous search area. And it is something that Malaysia cannot possibly search on its own.

“All efforts are being used now to reduce the [search] area – looking at satellite data; seeking assistance from other friends who have satellite capability; asking if they have looked [at radar data] to re-look at them; finally, the use of assets whether in air or at sea.”

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Mr Cameron added: “I wanted to discuss the help we have already been able to give with the UK-based satellite company that has been talking to the Malaysian authorities and to offer any other help that we could possibly give and to see if he had any particular requests or ideas for things that Britain could do.

“We are good friends with the Malaysians, it’s a very close relationship between our countries, we feel for them at this time and we want to help in any way we can.”

It was the first direct contact between the two prime ministers since the mystery began, said Mr Cameron’s official spokesman.

Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Houghton spoke yesterday to his Malaysian counterpart and said that the UK military was ready to consider any requests for assistance, said the Ministry of Defence.

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A spokesman said that Gen Houghton did not offer the use of any specific piece of equipment or military unit, but made clear Britain was ready to help if it was feasible to do so. No request has yet been received from Malaysia.