DEVELOPING STORY: THE SEARCH FOR FLIGHT 370....China has new images showing object 74 feet by 43 feet in southern search area, Malaysia says....The object is 22.5 meters long and 13 meters wide, (74 feet by 43 feet ), Hishammuddin Hussein announced..... China will send ships to confirm.

By Mitra Mobasherat and Faith Karimi, CNN updated 6:42 AM EDT, Sat March 22, 2014

(CNN) -- China has new satellite images showing a large object floating in the southern search area, and will be sending ships to verify, the Malaysian transport minister said Saturday.

The object is 22.5 meters long and 13 meters wide, (74 feet by 43 feet ), Hishammuddin Hussein announced. He told reporters he'd just gotten the information, and China will release more details in the "coming hours."

The search for the missing Malaysian jetliner expanded Saturday as various countries dispatched additional aircraft and ships to scan the choppy waters of the southern Indian Ocean. At least six search flights were involved Saturday, including two private jets. Though the two civilian jets did not have radar, their role was crucial, authorities said.

"It is more likely that a pair of eyes are going to identify something floating in the ocean," Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said. more