China releases image of possible MH370-linked object

China has a new satellite image of a large floating object in the Indian Ocean that could be related to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, officials said on Saturday.

Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein announced the news during his daily Press briefing when he was handed a note by an aide.

Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein addresses a press conference stating that they have received new satellite images during the search for missing Malaysia Airlines. -AFP

“The news that I just received is that the Chinese ambassador received satellite images of floating objects in the southern corridor and they will be sending ships to verify,” Hishammuddin said.

In a later Press statement, the transport ministry clarified that there was one “suspected” object with an estimated size of 22.5 metres by 13 metres.

Hishammuddin had provided different dimensions, which the statement said was the result of a telephone miscommunication.

Chinese state television later released a copy of the undated, grainy satellite image.

Attached coordinates suggested it was in roughly the same area of remote ocean as two possible objects spotted on satellite images taken on March 16 and released by the Australian government on Thursday.

China’s Xinhua news agency said the object was spotted 120 kilometres from those spotted by Australia.

Australian and US spotter planes have been scouring the area for the past three days, but without finding any sign of the suspected wreckage.

Earlier, India has told Malaysia it has found no evidence that the airline flew through its airspace, investigators said on Saturday.

Hishammuddin, who is running the investigation as acting transport minister, said earlier that after two days without confirmation of debris in the south, his “biggest concern” was that the search for the missing plane would have to revert to focusing once again on both vast search corridors running north and south.