Wreckage ‘likely to be from flight MH370’

Malaysian authorities say that plane wreckage washed up on an Indian Ocean island is from a Boeing 777, meaning it is likely from missing flight MH370.

The debris, part of a wing, could be the first tangible clue in the mystery of the Malaysia Airlines plane, which disappeared in March last year with 239 people on board.

Loved-ones will likely be given confirmation today. Though several officials are confident that the debris found on the French island of Reunion is from a Boeing 777, French authorities last night sent the piece for analysis, before confirming it came from the missing Malaysian aircraft. The part is due to arrive this morning, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.

Officials, keenly aware that families of those on board Flight 370 are desperately awaiting word on the fate of their loved-ones, hope to have some answers by today at the latest.

“The most important part of this whole exercise, at the moment, is to give some kind of closure to the families,” said Australian transport minister, Warren Truss, whose country is leading the search for the plane in a desolate stretch of ocean off Australia’s west coast.

The recovered wing bears the part number ‘657 BB’, according to photos of the debris. “From the part number, it is confirmed that it is from a Boeing 777 aircraft. This information is from MAS (Malaysia Airlines). They have informed me,” said Malaysia’s deputy transport minister, Abdul Aziz Kaprawi.

Jacquita Gomes, whose husband, Patrick, was a flight attendant on the missing plane, is anxious for the results of the analysis, but wants authorities to ensure they are conclusive before announcing them.

“It’s going to be a nail-biting weekend, but we cannot rush it,” said Ms Gomes, of Kuala Lumpur. “We have been waiting for more than 500 days. The agony continues and I hope there will be answers soon.”

But even if the piece is confirmed to be the first confirmed wreckage from Flight 370, there is no guarantee investigators will find the plane’s vital black box recorders or other debris.

A multinational search effort, now focused on the southern Indian Ocean, has come up empty. The part has been moved to the local airport on Reunion, located off Africa’s east coast, and was headed to Toulouse this morning, the hub of Europe’s aerospace industry.

It will be analysed in special defence facilities used for airplane testing and analysis. Air safety investigators, including one from Boeing, have identified the component as a ‘flaperon’ from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777 wing, a US official said. Flight 370, which disappeared on March 8, 2014, is the only missing 777.