Debris found on the French island of Réunion looks to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which went missing more than a year ago.
So far, a “flaperon” from a Boeing 777, the same plane used on missing flight, and what looks to be the remains of a suitcase have been found in the island in the Indian Ocean, according to reports. It is not certain whether the suitcase is connected to the missing flight.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370) was traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when disappeared on March 8, 2014. Despite a massive international search, no remnants have been found until yesterday.
“This is obviously a very significant development,” USA Today quoted Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss as telling reporters at a news conference. “It’s the first real evidence that there’s a possibility that part of the aircraft may have been found.”
Added Truss: “It’s too early to make that judgement, but clearly we’re treating this as a major lead.”
Investigators believe the flight turned south and headed into the Indian Ocean. After the crash, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razakon said Malaysia Airlines flight 370 “ended” in the southern Indian Ocean.
“The location is consistent with the drift analysis provided to the Malaysian investigation team, which showed a route from the southern Indian Ocean to Africa,” Reuters quoted Najib as saying in a statement.
A total of 239 people were on board the flight — 227 passengers and 12 crew members — were on board when the plane went missing. The piece of wreckage was to be send to the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA), the French equivalent of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), for investigation.
