Investigators reveal co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid tried to make a call from his mobile phone after the aircraft 'vanished'

(The Mirror) It has been claimed today that co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid's mobile phone made a call as the Malaysia Airlines plane flew low near the island of Penang, on the north of Malaysia's west coast.

The New Straits Times reported the aircraft, with 239 people on board, was flying low enough for the nearest telecommunications tower to pick up Fariq's signal.

The call ended abruptly, according to the paper, which claims contact was established with a telecommunications sub-station in Penang state.

The New Straits Times also said that Fariq's cousin, Nursyafiqah Kamarudin, 18, had said recently that the 28-year-old co-pilot was very close to his mother.

"If Fariq could make one call before the plane disappeared, it would have been to her," said the cousin.

Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said earlier in the week that investigators had obtained 'some clues' as to what might have happened, based on the statements from 176 people who had been interviewed.

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The crew, he said, were the main subjects of the investigation, a probe which has focused on four possible areas - hijack, sabotage, and personal and psychological problems among the crew or passengers.

However today, Malaysian acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein immediately denied the claims.

He said: "If this did happen, we would have known about it earlier."