In pictures: Frustrations mount as search for missing plane enters fifth day

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  Indonesian air force personnel are looking over the Malacca Strait, a passageway between Indonesia and Malaysia, as the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 shifts to Malaysia’s west coast. Indonesian air force / AFP Photo March 12

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  The search for a missing Malaysian jet swung north-west towards the Andaman Sea, far from its intended flight path, exposing Malaysia to mounting criticism that its response was in disarray. Indonesian air force / AFP Photo March 12

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  Zamani Zakaria, 56, the father of a passenger on the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 plane, speaks to journalists at a hotel in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Edgar Su / Reuters March 12

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  Journalists write a note for the missing Malaysian Airline plane on a cardboard at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Sepang. Ahmad Yusni / EPA March 12

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  Indonesian air force officers check the map as they prepare for a search operation. Ded Sahputra / EPA March 12

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  An official joint delegation from the People’s Republic of China led by Guo Shaochun meets with Malaysian officials dealing with the missing Malaysian Airlines aircraft. “Right now there is a lot of information, and it’s pretty chaotic, so up to this point we too have had difficulty confirming whether it is accurate or not,” said China. Ahmad Yusni / EPA March 12

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  Vietnam has scaled down search operations in waters off its southern coast. Kham / Reuters March 12

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  Military officer Ngo Ngoc Dong is seen reflected in a map on an iPad showing the path of the Vietnam Air Force search. Kham / Reuters March 12

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  Five days after the Malaysian jetliner went missing en route to Beijing, authorities acknowledged Wednesday they didn’t know which direction the plane carrying 239 passengers was heading when it disappeared, vastly complicating efforts to find it. Hau Dinh / AP Photo March 12

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  A tourist from Vietnam writes a message expressing hope for family members. Samsul Said / Reuters March 12

Indian officials said that Malaysia has asked for its assistance in searching for the missing Malaysian Airlines jet, widening the search to an area near the Andaman Sea as conflicting information about the course of a missing Flight MH370 with 239 people on board was “pretty chaotic”, China’s foreign ministry spokesman said Wednesday.