MH370: Transport Ministry to explore co-pilot's reported phone call

The Malaysian government is looking into a news report which today claimed that a phone call was attempted by a member of the lost MH370 flight crew.

According to a report by news agency AFP, the Transport Ministry will issue a response on the latest revelation by the New Straits Times (NST).

The English daily today claimed in an exclusive report that co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid had tried to call someone when the plane was flying low near Penang on March 8.

NST, quoting sources close to the investigation, revealed that the phone call was made from a mobile phone belonging to Fariq.

The newspaper's sources said that this latest information was among those that are being collected by investigators to unravel the mystery of what happened to the Boeing 777-200ER moments before it went off radar more than a month ago.

The report said that the aircraft with 239 people on board was reportedly flying at an altitude low enough for the telephone signal to be detected by the nearest telecommunications tower.

"His (Hamid's) call, however, ended abruptly, but not before contact was established with a telecommunications sub-station in the state," said the paper.

NST, however, has not revealed who was being contacted by Fariq.

Yesterday, Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, said more than 205 statements from various quarters, including family of passengers and crew of MH370 had been recorded.

The police are expected to record more statements and have yet to clear anyone on board the aircraft in their investigations.