Note : The part of the Boeing 777 wing found in Reunion Island is from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370), confirmed the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
"It is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you that an international team of experts has conclusively confirmed that the aircraft debris [...] is indeed MH370," Mr Najib told reporters.
"We now have physical evidence that [...] flight MH370 tragically ended in the southern Indian Ocean," he added.[6]
Despite the certainity of Najib's announcements, French authorities did not yet confirm that the flaperon is from MH370. They have just said the are very strong indications that it is from MH370.
Unfortunately, the confirmation does not mean that the crash site or the reasons behind the crash will be find any time soon. It will also not explain why a plane flying from KL to Beijing diverted all the way down to Indian Ocean.
Update : Debris found on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion is "very likely" to be from the missing flight MH370, a top Australian official has told the BBC.[5] There have been only 5 hull-loss accidents of Boeing 777 during its history : one crash in 2008 in London, one in Cairo in 2011, one in San Francisco in 2013, MH370 and MH17 in Ukraine in 2014. MH370 is the only missing Boeing 777 jet and is the only one which had hull loss accident in Indian Ocean.
Update : "It is almost certain that the flaperon is from a Boeing 777 aircraft. Our chief investigator here told me this" said Malaysia Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi. Since there is no other missing Boeing 777, the debris may be from the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight.
Debris found in Reunion Island in Western Indian Ocean near Madagaskar may be from the missing MH370. The debris looks like a part from the wing of a large aircraft like Boeing 777, the type of the aircraft disappeared in March 2014.
Officials are cautiously optimistic and working on the part which washed off the shores of the island The debris was found off the coast of St. Andre, a community on the Reunion Island.[1]
The aircraft part shows sign of tearing off the wing and appears to be an inside flap from Boeing 777 wind. But it is painted white which is not consistent with silver color of such part in Boeing 777.
Malaysia meanwhile announced that they have sent a team to see if Reunion Island debris is from MH370 flight. "I have sent a team to verify the wreckage ... we hope that it can identify (the wreckage) as soon as possible," said Malaysia's Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai during a visit to the United Nations (UN) in New York. [2]
An US official told the Associated Press news agency that, based on the photos, investigators had a "high degree of confidence" that the part was a flaperon unique to a Boeing 777 wing.[3]
Given the fact that there is no other Boeing 777 is missing, the part is most probably from MH370 if the debris is from a Boeing 777.[4]
The part may also be from another tragedy. Yemenia Flight 626 has crashed near the north coast of Grande Comore, Comoros on 30 June 2009, killing the 152 other people on board.
Where is the suspected MH370 debris found?
Reunion Island is off the coast of Madagaskar Island which is off the shores of Africa. It is in the same ocean where there is an ongoing search for MH370 but thousands of miles away from the search site.
[1] - Debris looks like Boeing 777, could be MH370, says source
[2] - Malaysia sends team to see if Reunion Island debris is from MH370 flight
[3] - MH370 search: Experts investigate Indian Ocean wreckage
[4] - US official: Plane debris in Indian Ocean same type as MH370
[5] - MH370 search: Reunion debris 'very likely' part of plane
[6] - MH370: Reunion debris is from missing Malaysia flight
"It is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you that an international team of experts has conclusively confirmed that the aircraft debris [...] is indeed MH370," Mr Najib told reporters.
"We now have physical evidence that [...] flight MH370 tragically ended in the southern Indian Ocean," he added.[6]
Despite the certainity of Najib's announcements, French authorities did not yet confirm that the flaperon is from MH370. They have just said the are very strong indications that it is from MH370.
Unfortunately, the confirmation does not mean that the crash site or the reasons behind the crash will be find any time soon. It will also not explain why a plane flying from KL to Beijing diverted all the way down to Indian Ocean.
Update : Debris found on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion is "very likely" to be from the missing flight MH370, a top Australian official has told the BBC.[5] There have been only 5 hull-loss accidents of Boeing 777 during its history : one crash in 2008 in London, one in Cairo in 2011, one in San Francisco in 2013, MH370 and MH17 in Ukraine in 2014. MH370 is the only missing Boeing 777 jet and is the only one which had hull loss accident in Indian Ocean.
Update : "It is almost certain that the flaperon is from a Boeing 777 aircraft. Our chief investigator here told me this" said Malaysia Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi. Since there is no other missing Boeing 777, the debris may be from the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight.
Debris found in Reunion Island in Western Indian Ocean near Madagaskar may be from the missing MH370. The debris looks like a part from the wing of a large aircraft like Boeing 777, the type of the aircraft disappeared in March 2014.
Officials are cautiously optimistic and working on the part which washed off the shores of the island The debris was found off the coast of St. Andre, a community on the Reunion Island.[1]
The aircraft part shows sign of tearing off the wing and appears to be an inside flap from Boeing 777 wind. But it is painted white which is not consistent with silver color of such part in Boeing 777.
Malaysia meanwhile announced that they have sent a team to see if Reunion Island debris is from MH370 flight. "I have sent a team to verify the wreckage ... we hope that it can identify (the wreckage) as soon as possible," said Malaysia's Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai during a visit to the United Nations (UN) in New York. [2]
An US official told the Associated Press news agency that, based on the photos, investigators had a "high degree of confidence" that the part was a flaperon unique to a Boeing 777 wing.[3]
Given the fact that there is no other Boeing 777 is missing, the part is most probably from MH370 if the debris is from a Boeing 777.[4]
The part may also be from another tragedy. Yemenia Flight 626 has crashed near the north coast of Grande Comore, Comoros on 30 June 2009, killing the 152 other people on board.
Where is the suspected MH370 debris found?
Reunion Island is off the coast of Madagaskar Island which is off the shores of Africa. It is in the same ocean where there is an ongoing search for MH370 but thousands of miles away from the search site.
[1] - Debris looks like Boeing 777, could be MH370, says source
[2] - Malaysia sends team to see if Reunion Island debris is from MH370 flight
[3] - MH370 search: Experts investigate Indian Ocean wreckage
[4] - US official: Plane debris in Indian Ocean same type as MH370
[5] - MH370 search: Reunion debris 'very likely' part of plane
[6] - MH370: Reunion debris is from missing Malaysia flight
