This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33783382

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
MH370: French experts examine Reunion wing part MH370: French experts examine Reunion wing part
(about 1 hour later)
Experts are due to examine part of a wing that washed up on the island of Reunion last week and is thought to have belonged to missing flight MH370. Experts in France are due to begin examining part of a wing that washed up on the island of Reunion to see if it came from Flight MH370.
The Boeing 777 piece has been taken to Toulouse in south-west France. The fragment, known as a flaperon, is from a Boeing 777, the same make as the missing Malaysian airliner.
An Australian transport expert is helping out in the examination at the invitation of the French authorities. Malaysian experts are also attending. France has invited Malaysian and Australian aviation experts to Toulouse to help with the investigation.
They may pronounce on the origin of the wing part either on Wednesday or later this week, officials say. Australia's Deputy PM Warren Truss said the teams may be able to say this week if it came from the plane.
For reasons that remain unclear the Malaysia Airlines plane veered off course on its way to Beijing in March 2014 and crashed into the sea with 239 people on board. For reasons that remain unclear the Malaysia Airlines plane, with 239 people on board, veered off course on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 2014.
Investigators hope to be able to determine the speed at which MH370 hit the water, and use that information to advise search teams to look for a plane that remains largely intact, or one that disintegrated on impact. It is believed to have crashed into the sea, though no confirmed trace has ever been found despite a massive search operation.
The examination of the wing part will start early on Wednesday afternoon, AFP news agency reported.The examination of the wing part will start early on Wednesday afternoon, AFP news agency reported.
Attending will be French and Malaysian experts, Boeing employees and representatives from China - the country that lost most passengers in the disaster.Attending will be French and Malaysian experts, Boeing employees and representatives from China - the country that lost most passengers in the disaster.
Jean-Paul Troadec, the former head of the French BEA agency that investigates air accidents, was quoted by AFP as saying that the examination would concentrate on two issues - whether the wing part belongs to MH370 and if so, whether it can provide any information on the final moments of the plane. Jean-Paul Troadec, the former head of the French BEA agency that investigates air accidents, was quoted by AFP as saying that the examination would concentrate on two issues - whether the wing part belongs to MH370 and if so, whether it could then provide any information on the final moments of the plane.
Mr Troadec said paint on the wing part - which has already been confirmed as coming from a Boeing 777 plane - was a vital part of the investigation.Mr Troadec said paint on the wing part - which has already been confirmed as coming from a Boeing 777 plane - was a vital part of the investigation.
"Every airline paints their planes in a certain way... and if the paint used is used by Malaysia Airlines and other companies, there may be more certainty," he said."Every airline paints their planes in a certain way... and if the paint used is used by Malaysia Airlines and other companies, there may be more certainty," he said.
No other Boeing 777s are thought to have crashed in the region.No other Boeing 777s are thought to have crashed in the region.
Could plane debris be MH370?Could plane debris be MH370?
MH370 relatives react to debris findMH370 relatives react to debris find
Missing Malaysia plane: What we knowMissing Malaysia plane: What we know
At the same time he cautioned that the analysis was highly unlikely to give any clues as to why the plane so bafflingly went off course.At the same time he cautioned that the analysis was highly unlikely to give any clues as to why the plane so bafflingly went off course.
"One should not expect miracles," he said."One should not expect miracles," he said.
An Australian-led search for the plane has focused on a vast area of the southern Indian Ocean about 4,000km (2,500 miles) east of Reunion.An Australian-led search for the plane has focused on a vast area of the southern Indian Ocean about 4,000km (2,500 miles) east of Reunion.
Simulation of where debris in search area could end upSimulation of where debris in search area could end up