Malaysia Plane
Royal Malaysia Air Force plane [Representational Image]Wikimedia Commons

A Malaysian air force plane has gone missing near the Pahang-Terengganu border after it lost contact with the air base around 11:30 am local time, the Royal Malaysia Air Force said on Thursday.

The Royal Malaysia Air Force aircraft departed from the Kuantan air base at 11 am and lost contact half an hour later, the air force said in a statement. "The aircraft took off from the Kuantan airbase at 11am and we lost contact at 11.30 am," the statement read.

A search and rescue operation has been launched to locate the missing plane.

Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said in a tweet that he has received the "troubling news". He also expressed concern over the incident and prayed for the safety of the pilots.

More details are awaited.