Report: Chinese satellite images may show Malaysia flight crash site

A Chinese satellite attempting to locate Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 "observed a suspected crash area at sea," according to CNN. The news comes via a Chinese government agency.

CNN is reporting that China satellite images may show crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 pic.twitter.com/C8DngzMBMi

— Austin Tedesco (@Tedescau) March 12, 2014

The satellite images show the Straight of Malacca and were taken on Mar. 9, the day after the the plane's disappearance, but were not released until Wednesday, according to CNN.

A Chinese scientist explained to the South China Morning Post the ways in which China did not fully take advantage of its satellite capabilities.

Hampered by poor co-ordination and a meagre staff, China did not immediately exploit the capability of its satellites to search for the missing Malaysian airliner, according to a Chinese scientist.

When the Boeing 777 was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing last Saturday, no Chinese satellites were observing it, said Dr Chi Tianhe, a researcher in satellite imaging with the Chinese Academy of Sciences who took part in the search.

"Chinese satellites' real-time surveillance capability will likely be strengthened after this incident," said Chi, a professor with the academy's Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth in Beijing.

Chi said his biggest regret was that while China had enough satellites to monitor a large area around the clock, including the search zone, the job had not been done. Monitoring every bit of land and sea would require a dedicated staff, he added.