REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
A family member of a passenger onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cries as he listens to a briefing from Malaysian government at a hotel in Beijing.
Malaysia Airlines reportedly sent a text message to the relatives of the 239 people on board the missing plane to notify them that MH370 is likely lost in the Indian Ocean and that everyone on board is presumed dead.
Adrienne Mong, who works for NBC News in London, tweeted a screenshot of the message:
The text msg Malaysia Airlines sent to inform Chinese #MH370 families about flight's fate ending in S Indian Ocean pic.twitter.com/Ys3azWL7WB
- Adrienne Mong (@adriennemong) March 24, 2014
The families were also told of the new developments during a meeting at a Beijing hotel. Most of the plane's passengers were Chinese. Relatives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were also called into a meeting to hear the news.
Reporters are tweeting grim descriptions of the relatives' reactions to the news:
Screaming, crying coming from room in Beijing where #MH370 families gathered. @griviera reports one woman fainted on hearing news.
- Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) March 24, 2014
Significant number of stretchers now being taken into Chinese families of #mh370 pic.twitter.com/5TXy8NxE3w
- Lucy Watson (@lucywatsonitv) March 24, 2014
CNN reporters in Beijing at family briefing say they here lots of relatives screaming, cursing Malaysia, wailing. #MH370
- Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) March 24, 2014
Relatives screaming in anger at Malaysia, shouting at media scrum to give them space #MH370 #Beijing
- malcolmmoore (@MalcolmMoore) March 24, 2014
Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak announced Monday that authorities are assuming beyond a reasonable doubt that the missing plane has been lost in the southern Indian Ocean.
Families of the MH370 passengers are taking charter flights to Australia tonight, according to Sky News.
Both Chinese and Australian aircraft have spotted possible debris in the Indian Ocean. The Boeing 777 plane went missing on March 8 during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.