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| MH370 search: Malaysia urges caution on Reunion debris find | MH370 search: Malaysia urges caution on Reunion debris find |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Malaysia has said that it would be "premature" to speculate on whether debris washed up on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion comes from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. | Malaysia has said that it would be "premature" to speculate on whether debris washed up on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion comes from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. |
| A two-metre long piece of wreckage was found on Wednesday. | A two-metre long piece of wreckage was found on Wednesday. |
| Malaysia's Deputy Transport Minister, Abdul Aziz Kaprawi, said it was "almost certain" that the wreckage was from a Boeing 777 aircraft. | Malaysia's Deputy Transport Minister, Abdul Aziz Kaprawi, said it was "almost certain" that the wreckage was from a Boeing 777 aircraft. |
| MH370 is the only Boeing 777 to have disappeared over an ocean. | MH370 is the only Boeing 777 to have disappeared over an ocean. |
| There were 239 people on board when the plane went missing in March 2014. | |
| On Thursday, a municipal employee found what appeared to be a very badly damaged suitcase on the Reunion coast, according to local media (in French). | On Thursday, a municipal employee found what appeared to be a very badly damaged suitcase on the Reunion coast, according to local media (in French). |
| The item was found at Saint-Andre, the same location as Wednesday's plane debris. | The item was found at Saint-Andre, the same location as Wednesday's plane debris. |
| Both the suspected suitcase and the wing part are in the custody of French authorities at St Denis airport on Reunion, reports say. | |
| Will this solve aviation mystery? | |
| Aviation experts who have studied photos of the debris found on Reunion say it does resemble a flaperon - a moving part of the wing surface - from a Boeing 777. | Aviation experts who have studied photos of the debris found on Reunion say it does resemble a flaperon - a moving part of the wing surface - from a Boeing 777. |
| Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said it would take about two days to verify if the piece of wreckage was from MH370. | Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said it would take about two days to verify if the piece of wreckage was from MH370. |
| The wife of the in-flight supervisor for the missing plane, Jacquita Gonzales, told the BBC that she was "torn" by the news. | The wife of the in-flight supervisor for the missing plane, Jacquita Gonzales, told the BBC that she was "torn" by the news. |
| "A part of me hopes that it is [MH370] so that I could have some closure and bury my husband properly but the other part of me says 'no, no, no' because there is still hope," she told the BBC by phone. | "A part of me hopes that it is [MH370] so that I could have some closure and bury my husband properly but the other part of me says 'no, no, no' because there is still hope," she told the BBC by phone. |
| Reunion, a French overseas department, is about 600km (370 miles) east of Madagascar. | Reunion, a French overseas department, is about 600km (370 miles) east of Madagascar. |
| The search efforts for MH370, led by Australia, are focused on a broad expanse of the southern Indian Ocean - around 4,000km to the east of Reunion. | The search efforts for MH370, led by Australia, are focused on a broad expanse of the southern Indian Ocean - around 4,000km to the east of Reunion. |
| Australia's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Warren Truss has said there is a distinctive marking on the piece of debris found on Reunion Island. | Australia's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Warren Truss has said there is a distinctive marking on the piece of debris found on Reunion Island. |
| He said the number on the part, BB670, could be a maintenance number, but is not a serial number. | He said the number on the part, BB670, could be a maintenance number, but is not a serial number. |
| Australian scientists were "looking at the photographs to see whether the barnacles on the wreckage reflect the amount of time that it would've been in the water", he said. | Australian scientists were "looking at the photographs to see whether the barnacles on the wreckage reflect the amount of time that it would've been in the water", he said. |
| "Clearly if this is wreckage from MH370 it's an important breakthrough, particularly for families," Mr Truss added. | "Clearly if this is wreckage from MH370 it's an important breakthrough, particularly for families," Mr Truss added. |
| After MH370 disappeared from radar screens, experts analysed data from faint "pings" the aircraft sent to satellites to narrow down its last known location. | |
| It was this information that identified the search area in the southern Indian Ocean, west of Perth. | |
| Oceanographer David Griffin of Australia's national science agency told the BBC that the location of the find, in Reunion, was "consistent with where we think debris might have turned up". | |
| Missing Malaysia plane: What we know | |
| Malaysia is in contact with French air accident investigators and is sending a team of experts to Reunion. | Malaysia is in contact with French air accident investigators and is sending a team of experts to Reunion. |
| A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said: "We have noticed the reports and are wasting no time in obtaining and checking the information." | A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said: "We have noticed the reports and are wasting no time in obtaining and checking the information." |
| More than half of those on board the missing plane were Chinese citizens. | More than half of those on board the missing plane were Chinese citizens. |
| A group of relatives of many of the Chinese passengers said in a statement that they wanted "100%" certainty about where the part is from, and that the search for the airliner should continue. | |
| Analysis: BBC's transport correspondent Richard Westcott | Analysis: BBC's transport correspondent Richard Westcott |
| Experts should be able to tell fairly quickly if this is a piece of MH370. Aircraft parts have individual serial numbers on them, and the airlines should have records of all those numbers. | Experts should be able to tell fairly quickly if this is a piece of MH370. Aircraft parts have individual serial numbers on 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. | 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. | 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. | But these are all big "ifs" right now. It could still be yet another false alarm. |
| Follow Richard: @BBCwestcott | Follow Richard: @BBCwestcott |
| The tenacious deep-sea hunt for MH370 | The tenacious deep-sea hunt for MH370 |