Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
SATELLITE IMAGES ON a Chinese government website show suspected debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner floating off the southern tip of Vietnam, near the plane’s original flight path, China’s Xinhua News Agency reported this evening.
The revelation could provide searchers with a focus that has eluded them since the plane disappeared with 239 people aboard early Saturday.
The Xinhua report said the images from around 11am on Sunday appear to show “three suspected floating objects” of varying sizes, the largest about 24 meters (79 feet) by 22 meters (72 feet).
The report includes coordinates of a location in the sea off the southern tip of Vietnam and east of Malaysia. The images originally were posted on a national defense technology website.
No other governments have confirmed the Xinhua report, which did not say when Chinese officials became aware of the images and associated them with the missing plane. They state that verification is ongoing.
The search for the plane, which left Kuala Lumpur for Beijing before disappearing early Saturday, has encompassed 35,800 square miles (92,600 square kilometers) of Southeast Asia and on Wednesday expanded toward India.
Map shows search areas for missing Malaysia Airlines jet. (AP Photo)
Two-thirds of the passengers on the flight were Chinese, and the Chinese government has put increasing pressure on Malaysian officials to find solve the mystery of the plane’s disappearance.
It was also revealed that the last message from the cockpit of the missing flight was routine. “All right, good night,” was the signoff transmitted to air traffic controllers five days ago.
Then the Boeing 777 vanished as it cruised over the South China Sea toward Vietnam, and nothing has been seen or heard of the jetliner since.
Those final words were picked up by controllers and relayed in Beijing to anguished relatives of some of the people aboard Flight MH370.
The new Chinese reports of the satellite images came after several days of sometimes confusing and conflicting statements from Malaysian officials.
Earlier today, the Malaysian military officially disclosed why it was searching on both sides of country. A review of military radar records showed what might have been the plane turning back and crossing westward into the Strait of Malacca.
That would conflict with the latest images on the Chinese website.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Hopefully this is the wreckage and the families can start getting some answers.
Technology is incredible.
Could easily be pilot error
Spy SATs are even better
Sh!te. Apparently they searched that area and have found nothing.
Chinese propaganda.
How can a plane disappear off the face do the earth. It’s pure scary stuff.
But it didn’t just vanish,it is somewhere,just a question of where. And it looks like the question is going to be answered
If an aircraft bursts into flames in mid air no technology could locate it, pilot error could easily be cause, hopefully the black box will reveal all.
With Obama everything is possible.
Shutup Frank.
@RonanM, the yanks track explosions wordly daily and they saw no activity at the time.
And the Chinese were condemning the Malaysian authorities for their failure to conduct a successful search mission ? Did the Chinese really have these photos since last Sunday morning ? There must be a mistake or they themselves should have their heads bowed in shame !
The Chinese Government has released detailed explanations alongside these photos. I for one would find it very hard to believe that they would do that, so publicly, UNLESS they are fairly certain what the images show. Such an awful way for those people to die. Their families much be living unfathomable agony.
Images might be taken Sunday but how long to pour over and find something. Kinda nieve to think they take picture of an entire sea and go oh look there it is
You can use a simple smartphone app to locate your phone yet a 100 million plus dollar jet carrying hundreds of people can’t be found. Baffling
If it blew up in mid air 35,000 feet above sea level traveling at 590mph the wreckage would be scattered into pieces over a very very large area. And if not found straight away what didn’t sink to the bottom of the sea would have been floated away. We thing the world is a small place but when things like this happen we find out its not that small after all. I would imagine they will eventually find it just like they found other planes that disappear, sometimes it takes many months.
Also I doubt you’d be able to find your smartphone if it was at the bottom of the sea.
If a plane exploded over the sea, the last location of which was known to authorities, the amount of floating parts spread over such a vast area would have been easily visible, and discovered much sooner than six days.
Im amazed that there wasnt a tracker or some sort of gps on such a big plane.doesnt make sense
If the aircraft bursts into flames in the sky all equines will be melted, u can never develop something to stop this. The events leading up are what’s important.
Meant equipment
I believe they invented the black box to survive a lot of accidents like this,
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/11/289189214/what-would-it-take-to-destroy-a-black-box
It would melts horses too.
Hopefully this results in some closure.
Something smells rotten on this someone knows wat happened that plane to much planning people on fake passports, phones ringing, 4 people not boarded turned to all boarded turned to 5 not boarded another two possible people with fake passports on board. Perfect time to disappear off radar changing from flight tower. Been reported was last In contact at 2.30am then changed to 1.30am then been reported on military radar at 2.30am 500km away. And the 20 military like guys who are tech savy who could cloak a plane its not adding up. The black box isn givin off signals suggesting under water but the passengers phones are ringing which they cant be under water as no signal so itd have t be near a mast
Hopefully its found for the families for closure
“The black box isn givin off signals suggesting under water”
Black box’s work under water very well. They emit for a 15 mile radius. What could of happened though is the antenna broke off reducing its range. Still you’d have to be pretty close at 15 miles compared to the size of the search area. There is a lot of confusion around this crash, with varying reports which does lead to confusion and ultimately conspiracy.
There could also have been a slow depersonalisation or lack of oxygen like what happened with the greece flight. The plane could have flown a lot further without contact before getting into trouble with passengers all out cold.
The mobile phones one is very strange. Not sure how they would be ringing as if the crash was out over sea then how were they getting a signal in the first place with no repeater masts. Maybe the plane did not disappear over water at all. ??
If phones are switched to flight mode when phoned the last mast signal will pick up and it will ring simple explanation really, bit conspiracy nuts don’t like simple explanations
I thought these black boxes had a homing beacon ,so that they could be located ..
The black box is also meant to jettison from the plane which it didn’t. This whole affair is very strange.
I think you mean the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) jetsons. The black box is usually located in the tail section as usually this is the last piece to hit the ground, it should be good for 30 days
good to emit for 30 days that is. 15 mile radius with antenna intack.
I agree very strange
China’s official news agency, Xinhua, says the objects measure 13m by 18m (43ft by 59ft), 14m by 19m and 24m by 22m. For context, the Boeing 777 is just under 64m long.
Seems more like part of a ship than part of an aircraft.
That’s what I was thinking, surely no single part of a 777 can be 24m by 22m?? I’m open to correction though.
But this is Wednesday, why has it taken so long for this information to come to light?? The whole thing stinks of a cover up. God love the family & friends.
If this images were taken on Sunday, why has it taken till now for them to be released?
Agree completely, the families must be living a life of hell right now, more the reason to ask why they would even publish these photos now if they were so sure they’re not connected then ? Confused.com !
It seems to me that there was something very important on board this flight and “they” wanted it down irrespective…..it was probably located immediately after it disappeared but the location could not be published unti they got what they wanted out of the wreckage. This incidemt also doubled up as a destraction from the EU / USSA coup on Crimea.
What a nonsense. You’re one of these infowars.com Alex Jones New-World-Order types no doubt. I remember before even the Boston Bombings were confirmed as terrorist bombings (they believed they could have been gas explosions), Twitter was hopping with types like you blaming the NWO already before they even knew what happened. Nothing can happen in this world without it being some big conspiracy, right? A plane crash MUST have been something else, shot down, blown-up, disappeared, etc. rather than just a plane crash which it most likely is…
Searchers of the missing Malaysian plane have found the Wings..
Mr and Mr’s Wing say they don’t know where the plane is though.
This isn’t the plane. Its just too big and the wrong shape.
Jaysus it was meant to pass Laos where the last plane crash was
Sky news are reporting that no debris has been found at this site.
Searchers of the missing Malaysian plane have found the two Wings..
Mr and Mr’s Wing say they don’t know where the plane is though.
have your say