The BBC has reported that two individuals on board flight MH370 with stolen passports had purchased tickets at the same time and booked the same onward flight from Beijing to Europe on Saturday.
 
It was also reported that the duo purchased their tickets from China Southern Airlines, which shared the flight with Malaysian Airlines, and they have consecutive ticket numbers.
 
This revelation by the BBC adds to the mystery involving reports that two individuals with stolen passports somehow made it on board the missing MH370 flight, which has disappeared yesterday morning over the South China Sea.
 
Soon after the passenger manifest was unveiled, it was confirmed that the real owners of the passports concerned - an Italian and Austrian national - were not on board the flight. 
 
Both individuals had their passports stolen in recent years.
 
Meanwhile, CNN published a similar report, claiming that China's official e-ticket verification system Travelsky had confirmed that the duo had appeared to have bought their tickets together.
 
The report claimed that the both bought their tickets in Thai baht at identical prices.
 
"The ticket numbers are contiguous, which indicates the tickets were issued together," read the report.

Interpol confirmation

Later tonight, international police agency Interpol confirmed "at least" two passports recorded as lost or stolen in its database were used by passengers on board a missing Malaysia Airlines flight and said it was checking for other suspect passports.

According to Reuters , Interpol said no checks of its database had been made by any country on an Austrian and an Italian passport between the time that they were stolen and the departure of the flight.

"Whilst it is too soon to speculate about any connection between these stolen passports and the missing plane, it is clearly of great concern that any passenger was able to board an international flight using a stolen passport listed in Interpol's databases," Interpol secretary general Ronald Noble said in a statement.

The police agency said it was in contact with its offices in the countries involved to try to establish the true identities of the passengers who boarded the flight with the stolen documents.

It said it is also checking all other passports on the flight "which may have been reported stolen".

Noble expressed frustration that few of Interpol's 190 member countries "systematically" search the database to determine whether documents being used to board a plane are registered as lost or stolen.

"This is a situation we had hoped never to see. For years Interpol has asked why should countries wait for a tragedy to put prudent security measures in place at borders and boarding gates," he was quoted as saying.