Relatives devastated after possible plane debris spotted

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A family member of a passenger onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cries as he watches a message board dedicated to the passengers onboard the missing plane at a hotel in Beijing. [Photo/Agencies]

Friends and family members of the Chinese passengers on board missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are devastated after Australian authorities announced on Thursday that new satellite imagery had spotted two large objects that are possibly related to the flight.

Dimensions of the Boeing 777-200ER Wing span: 60.9 metres Overall length: 63.7 metres Tail height: 18.5 metres Fuselage diameter: 6.19 metres

One of the objects found in the Indian Ocean about 2,500 kilometers southwest of Perth, Australia, is about 24 meters long, said John Young, General Manager of the emergency response division of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), during a press conference on Thursday afternoon. Four aircraft have been re-orientated to investigate the objects.

Young said the satellite imagery was not detailed enough to provide a direct link with the Boeing 777-200 aircraft that went missing on March 8. But he added that there is a possibility that the objects might be debris from the plane - which was carrying 239 crew and passengers including 154 Chinese, and disappeared off the radar on its way from Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia to Beijing.

"This is probably the best lead we have right now," Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters.

Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysia's Minister of Defense and Acting Minister of Transport, said during a routine news briefing in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday afternoon that the aircraft had not yet located the objects due to poor visibility.

Some family members and friends of the Chinese passengers watched AMSA's press conference live at Metropark Lido Hotel in Beijing where Malaysia Airlines has offered them accommodation.