BEIJING, March 13 -- A multi-national search and rescue operation entered the sixth day on Thursday, but has unfortunately failed to produce any clue on the whereabouts of the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner.

With the clock ticking, there is an urgent need for a supply of truth and better coordination in the race against time.

The past six days were a stress test for those who had their beloved ones on Flight MH370, which lost contact with the ground early Saturday.

Desperately waiting for a miracle, they only found themselves offered endless mysteries. Not only does the plane remain lost, the public also feels baffled due to a lack of accurate and substantial information.

A flood of rumors and misinformation has put those family members on an emotional roller-coaster and dealt a second blow to them, who had already suffered unbearable pains for the fear of losing their beloved ones. It is fully understandable that some of them lost temper.

In order to stem rumors and give proper care to those in pain, a mechanism for distributing information timely and authoritatively must be established.

It is advised that relevant parties, especially the Malaysian government, unify their information release channels, as the past few days have shown speaking in different voices may lead to inconsistency and chaos.

Media outlets have to bear in mind that their professional mission at the moment is to tell the anxious public what really happened, not unverified news or even rumors

As long as there is a glimmer of hope, the search and rescue operation will not stop. But time is running out and it has become increasingly urgent to speed up search efforts.

About a dozen countries have joined the multi-national search, with at least 42 ships and 39 planes scouring the waters around Flight MH370's last known location.

The humanitarian operation is unprecedented, but for the search to be more efficient, coordination and information sharing among different parties have to be strengthened.

It goes without saying that Malaysia bears the prime responsibility for investigating and dealing with the aftermath of the incident.

At the present stage, it needs to take the lead in coordinating international search and rescue efforts.

Only by sparing no efforts for a well-coordinated search can we help heal the wounded hearts of those who are still waiting for a reply on the fate of the 239 passengers on the missing plane.