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MH370: Plane wreckage found in Indian Ocean tested MH370: Plane wreckage found in Indian Ocean tested
(about 3 hours later)
French officials are investigating whether plane wreckage that washed up on an Indian Ocean island is from missing flight MH370. French officials are investigating whether a plane part that washed up on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion is from missing flight MH370.
The debris, apparently a wing flap, was found on French-owned Reunion. The Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board vanished in March 2014. No part has been found.
An aviation security expert said it had "incredible similarities" to a flap from a Boeing 777, the type of plane that vanished in March 2014. Experts are quoted as saying that the debris found in La Reunion looks like a wing component from a 777. French experts say it is too early to tell.
But the island is a huge distance from the plane's search area and there have been other crashes much closer. The island is far from the search area.
No part of the Malaysian Airlines flight has ever been found. It disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. There have been other crashes much closer to Le Reunion, however flight MH370 is the only Boeing 777 to have disappeared.
Aviation expert Xavier Tytelman said a code on the plane would be examined, promising a "definitive answer" on whether there was a link in a few days. Malaysia is sending a team to investigate the debris discovered on Wednesday.
'Unique element'
An anonymous 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.
Aviation expert Xavier Tytelman also said that it presented "incredible similarities" to a Boeing 777 flaperon.
A flaperon is used to both alter the lift characteristics of a wing and control the roll of an aircraft.
Australian investigators, who are leading the hunt, are also reported to be in touch with manufacturers over the find.Australian investigators, who are leading the hunt, are also reported to be in touch with manufacturers over the find.
But a member of the French Air Force cautioned it was "way too soon" to say if it was from the missing flight, according to CNN. Analysis: BBC's transport correspondent Richard Westcott @BBCwestcott
Experts should be able to tell fairly quickly if this is a piece of MH370. Aircraft parts have individual serial numbers of them, and the airlines should have records of all those numbers.
So in theory, investigators could check them and give a positive or negative ID. If it is part of the aircraft, it's washed up thousands of miles from where search teams continue to look for debris at the bottom of the sea.
And realistically, although it would confirm the aircraft crashed and broke up, a piece of wing is unlikely to reveal much more about what actually happened on board the plane.
But these are all big "ifs" right now. It could still be yet another false alarm.
A member of the French Air Force cautioned it was "way too soon" to say if it was from the missing flight, according to CNN.
Search teams have been focusing on a 60,000 sq km (23,000 sq mile) area off the coast of Western Australia, where it is believed to have crashed.Search teams have been focusing on a 60,000 sq km (23,000 sq mile) area off the coast of Western Australia, where it is believed to have crashed.
Reunion lies some 6,000 km (3,730 miles) to the west, off the coast of Madagascar. Reunion lies off the coast of Madagascar - some 6,000 km (3,730 miles) to the west of the search area.
It remains a mystery what happened to the plane, which vanished after turning away from its north-bound route from Kuala Lumpur.It remains a mystery what happened to the plane, which vanished after turning away from its north-bound route from Kuala Lumpur.