Northeast district police chief Soffian Santong said a search would resume only if there are new clues to back the claim by several people who were on the beach at 2pm yesterday. No debris or clue had been found by nightfall yesterday.

Two fishermen and a security guard said that an object resembling a dark-coloured plane had plunged into the sea about 1.5km to 5km offshore, Soffian said.

Police had questioned a beach boy but he said he did not see any aircraft crash while Marine Police in the area said anglers and fishermen there at that time did not see anything either.

He said the police would conduct further investigations as the report could not, as yet, be dismissed as false.

Until 11am today, the police had not received any report from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia or any airline on the disappearance of a pilot or light aircraft.

The CAAM said this evening there were no missing flights on its records, nor had any emergency signal been received.