KUALA LUMPUR-- Malaysia Airlines has deployed a total of 112 caregivers to provide assistance to the family members of the passengers and crew of MH370, according to its latest statement released late Wednesday evening.

"The caregiver's primary role is to provide family members with emotional support and ensure their basis needs are met to try and make this difficult time relatively bearable," the statement said.

The company also provided equal amount of initial financial assistance to all families of passengers while conducting regular briefing to update the families on current progress, according to the statement.

The Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia had also sent two of their officers to join the team in Beijing, Malaysia Airlines said, adding "this was to facilitate questions and provide information on the search and rescue mission."

Search area has been expanded further to two areas either side of the Malaysia peninsula, amid reports that the plane might have turned back.

At least 12 nations have contributed forces to the successive hunt mission which involved 42 ships and 39 aircraft. India, Japan and Brunei were the latest to join in the massive search mission.

Flight MH370 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew vanished early Saturday on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing after losing contact with air traffic control in waters between Malaysia and Vietnam. Two-thirds of the passengers on board the plane were Chinese. However, no trace of the plane have been found.