HONG KONG, March 10 -- The pilot of a Hong Kong-Kuala Lumpur flight spotted what was described as large debris in Vietnamese waters and he reported the sighting to Hong Kong civil aviation authorities Monday.

The Civil Aviation Department of Hong Kong told Xinhua that they received the report from the pilot, who spotted the debris at 9.54 degrees north latitude and 107.25 degrees east longitude, an area some 500 km from where the Malaysian jetliner lost contact with air traffic controllers.

The department has submitted the message to the relavent authorities in Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur and Sanya in China's Hainan province.

A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew went missing in area near the South China Sea on Saturday as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.