TAIPEI, March 11 -- Taiwan authorities have sent a warship, transport plane and patrol ships to the search area for the missing Malaysian airliner.

A guided missile frigate and two patrol boats departed Taiwan at 3 p.m. Monday and a C-130 transport plane took off from its base at 3:30 p.m. the same day, according to Taiwan's military and maritime patrol authorities.

The patrol boats were expected to arrive in the target area Friday noon.

Taiwan's military authority has also ordered planes and military vessels around the waters of the South China Sea to enhance search and join the rescue as necessary.

A Taiwan passenger was reported to be on board the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which lost contact with controllers early Saturday when flying over the Ho Chi Minh City air traffic control area in Vietnam.

Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) immediately launched an emergency communication mechanism after receiving the report and contacted the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) at noon on Saturday, said SEF vice chairman Ma Shaw-chang.

The SEF has been keeping in close touch with the ARATS on the incident, Ma said.