MH370: Families of passengers from China informed about discovery of image

The families of passengers from China on the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 who are now in Malaysia have been informed of the discovery of images of objects detected by a Chinese satellite in the southern corridor, which may be connected to the airplane.

The Prime Minister's Special Envoy to China Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting said the families also obtained that information from the website of a television station in China.

"I am meeting with the families informally to inform them of the new finding which I received from the Chinese embassy here," he said when contacted by Bernama here on Saturday.

Asked about the reaction of the families, Ong said although sad, they wanted confirmation about the object before making a decision on the next course of action.

Images from the Chinese satellite were reported to have detected objects which could possibly be connected to the MAS flight MH370 floating in the southern corridor, about 22.5 metres long and 13 metres wide.

MAS Flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing about an hour after taking off from the KL International Airport at 12.41 am on March 8. It should have landed in Beijing at 6.30 am on the same day.

The fate of the passengers is unknown as the multi-national search for the aircraft has drawn a blank so far.

The search and rescue mission enters a new phase, in the northern and southern corridors where Australia and Indonesia lead the search in their own regions.