As wing is tested in France, new debris found Monday on Reunion

World Today

Workers search the beach for possible additional airplane debris near the shore where an airplane wing part was washed up, in the early morning near to Saint-Denis on the north coast of the Indian Ocean island of Reunion Sunday, Aug. 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Fabrice Wislez)

French and Malaysian investigators have met with a judge in Paris after the arrival of a wing fragment that many hope will solve the mystery of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

Experts at the Aviation Technical Test Center in the city of Toulouse, France, are trying to determine whether the part comes from the plane, which disappeared on March 8, 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. The fragment was found on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion and returned to the French mainland.

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Malaysia’s Transport Minister, Liow Tiong Lai and air safety investigators, including one from Boeing, have identified the component as a flaperon from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777 wing. Flight 370 is the only missing 777 and many are convinced the flap comes from the ill-fated jet.

More suspected plane wreckage of disappeared MH370 was discovered on the Island of Reunion on Monday, according to Malaysian official. Minister Lai said the Malaysian government has sent two investigation teams to identify the newly found wreckage and search for more clues.

CCTV America’s Elaine Reyes interviewed Michael Planey, Airline Technology Consultant of HMPlaney Consultants about the debris:

“Some wreckage from some sort of aluminium, frame, some sort of broken pieces of material from the plane. But we are not sure what plane was that. So we have to verify those,” said Liow.

The minister said now the first priority is the identification job and appealed people not to speculate randomly.

Tim Taylor , the President of Tiburon Subsea Services discusses found debris:

“As all of you know that undue speculation is giving a lot of stress to the next of kin and also people (who is) waiting for the news. So let us not speculate. I am as anxious as all of you to know the verification result. I will inform as soon as we get the confirmation,” said Liow.

Debris found on Reunion Island the previous day was determined not to be part of an airplane, but a domestic ladder, said Malaysia’s Director General of Civil Aviation, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman.

Meanwhile a Reunion Island beach cleaner told the reporters that he found items such as suitcases and a wheelchair on the beach where the airplane part was found back in May.

“I didn’t know if it was part of the plane, and I even sat on it. I found a couple of suitcases too, around the same time, full of things. I burnt them. That’s my job. I collect rubbish, and burn it,” said Nicolas Ferrier, a beach cleaner patrolling the shores of Saint Andre, La Reunion.

His story was backed up by another local woman, who spotted the same object while walking on the beach in May.

However, when questioned why he didn’t report his story at the time, Ferrier said it was because he worked alone, so he didn’t have anyone to consult.

Story compiled with information from CCTV News and the Associated Press.