Missing plane: those who wait

New Zealander Paul Weeks, seen here in file footage, was on board the missing Malaysian Airlines jet to start a new job in Mongolia.

Countryman Ximin Wang, his Auckland home silent on Sunday, was also among the passengers.

In Australia, this is the home of Robert and Catherine Lawton.

Their friends are among the many waiting for news.

(SOUNDBITE)(English) MATT CASH, FRIEND OF MISSING COUPLE ROBERT AND CATHERINE LAWTON, SAYING:

"They were wonderful people, wonderful neighbours, always there for us."

In the North Sumatra Province of Indonesia the family of Firman Chandra Siregar face a similarly tense time.

(SOUNDBITE)(Bahasa Indonesia) CHARLES IMMANUEL SIREGAR, BROTHER OF FIRMAN CHANDRA SIREGAR, SAYING:

"I hope the passengers of the entire flight are safe, but especially my little brother."

The majority of the passengers aboard Flight MH370 were Chinese.

Relatives of many of them have been gathering in Beijing over the weekend