Linda,
 
I notice that the CBS news article also contained the number 153:
Here is a quote from that article (CBS NEWS):
 

"The airline said that the Boeing 777-200 aircraft had 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members on board.  It said the passengers were of 13 different nationalities, including 153 from China and four from the United States.Flight MH370 departed from Kuala Lumpur at 12:41 a.m. Saturday local time, according to a statement from the airline. It was scheduled to land in Beijing at 6:30 a.m."
 


Rene