马航失联傍晚最新消息：號外： 國際情報組織說MH370所有乘客沒問題。【澳洲總理提醒碎片有可能不是來自MH370】！澳洲總理今午官方拜訪新幾內亞被記者追問是否有信心那是MH370的碎片時這樣回答的。（闻：澳大利亚 Johnny Hii）

Missing Malaysia Airlines plane: Tony Abbott defends decision to go public with news of satellite images

Tony Abbott has strongly defended his decision to announce a potential breakthrough in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines plane MH370, saying he owed it to the relatives and friends of the passengers and crew to reveal details at the first opportunity.

The Prime Minister was asked at a press conference in Papua New Guinea on Friday afternoon whether he had "jumped the gun" by telling Parliament on Thursday that Australian investigators had satellite images potentially showing debris from the missing plane 2500 kilometres south-west of Perth.

''Now, it could just be a container that has fallen off a ship," Mr Abbott told reporters in Port Moresby.

"We just don't know, but we owe it to the families and the friends and the loved ones of the almost 240 people on flight MH370 to do everything we can to try to resolve what is as yet an extraordinary riddle.

"Because of the understandable state of anxiety and apprehension that they're in we also owe it to them to give them information as soon as it's to hand.

"I think I was doing that yesterday in the Parliament."

当地天寒雨大，遠處大海灰蒙一片。