US tech firm had 20 employees on missing plane

By: 10 years ago

This photo provided by Laurent Errera taken Dec. 26, 2011, shows the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER that disappeared from air traffic control screens Saturday, taking off from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport in France. AP/Laurent Errera

AUSTIN, Texas—A United States technology company says 20 of its employees were aboard the Malaysia Airlines plane that went missing over the South China Sea.

Jacey Zuniga, a spokeswoman for Freescale Semiconductor, says 12 Malaysian and eight Chinese employees are “confirmed passengers.” She says no American citizen Freescale employees were on the flight.

“At present, we are solely focused on our employees and their families,” Gregg Lowe, president and Chief Executive Officer of Freescale says in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this tragic event.” The company, the statement reads, has assembled a team of counselors for those impacted by the tragedy.

Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 airplane, was last seen on radar at 1:30 a.m. (1730 GMT Friday) above the waters where the South China sea.