Missing flight : satellite images give fresh lead [March 13 2014]

Hopes of finding the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have been raised after satellite images showing possible debris from the plane were released on a Chinese government website.

The images taken at about 11am on Sunday but released on Wednesday appear to show "three suspected floating objects" of varying sizes, the largest about 24 metres by 22 metres, the national defence technology site reported.

It locates them in the sea off the southern tip of Vietnam and east of Malaysia, near the planes original flight path.

The revelation could provide searchers with a focus that has eluded them since the plane disappeared with 239 people aboard in the early hours of Saturday.

However this is not the first time authorities have announced sightings of objects or oil slicks that they claim might be tied to the missing aircraft.

No other governments have confirmed the latest report, and on Wednesday evening, one senior US defence official said that American satellites had not located any sign of a crash.

The last words from the jet before it disappeared five days ago were "All right, good night" as the crew responded to Malaysian air traffic controllers, relatives of some of the 239 missing on board were told on Wednesday.

The crew were responding to information from controllers that the flight was entering Vietnamese airspace and that air traffic controllers from Ho Chi Minh City would take over. - The Guardian