Texas semiconductor firm says 20 employees on board missing airliner

USPA News - A Texas-based semiconductor firm said late Saturday that 20 of its employees - none of them American citizens - were passengers on the doomed Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared over the South China Sea between Malaysia and Vietnam. Freescale Semiconductor, whose products serve the automotive, consumer, industrial and networking markets, said 20 of its employees had boarded flight MH370 in Kuala Lumpur en-route to the Chinese capital of Beijing.

It said 12 of its employees are from Malaysia and eight are from China. "The entire Freescale Semiconductor community is deeply saddened by this news," said Freescale Semiconductor CEO and president Gregg Lowe. "At present, we are solely focused on our employees and their families. Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this tragic event. The company said it has assembled counselors and other professionals through its Employee Assistance Program to provide support for those impacted. None of the Freescale Semiconductor employees on board the aircraft were American citizens. Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, a Boeing 777-200 aircraft, was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members when it disappeared over the South China Sea at around 2:40 a.m. local time on Saturday. The aircraft had departed Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia at 12:41 a.m. and was scheduled to land in the Chinese capital of Beijing at around 6:30 a.m. As of Sunday morning, no wreckage had been found.