The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) confirmed on Wednesday that Xiao Xiang, an associate research fellow of its Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, was on board the Air France jetliner that vanished in the Atlantic on Monday.

The institute contacted the Beijing Office of the Air France and other sources to make sure that the 35-year old scientist was among the nine Chinese nationals aboard the AF447 flight, according to the CAS.

Xiao, a native of east China's Jiangxi Province, is a graduate of the Tsinghua University. He took the flight after he completed a research program in collaboration with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He planned to return to Beijing via Paris.

The institute has set up an emergency work team to deal with the issue, while CAS leaders had asked departments concerned to comfort Xiao's family members.

So far, the identities of all the nine Chinese nationals on board of the missing plane have been confirmed.

The other eight include a Chinese applicant for the status of investment immigrant in Brazil from eastern China, six staffers of Benxi Iron & Steel (Group) Co. Ltd., in Benxi City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, and an employee of the Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.

These Chinese nationals were among the 228 people aboard the plane which was carrying 216 passengers and 12 crew members.

The passengers included one infant, seven children, 82 women and 126 men, according to Air France.

Speculation continues about how the plane vanished.

(Xinhua News Agency June 3, 2009)