Mozambique unveils suspected MH370 debris

Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, carrying 239 passengers and crew, mysteriously vanished on March 8, 2014, during an overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Debris thought to be from the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 plane in a photo taken on February 28, 2016. The plane vanished mid-flight on March 8, 2014. Blaine Gibson / Australian Transport Safety BShow more

Maputo // Mozambique aviation authorities on Thursday displayed the suspected debris from missing Malaysian flight MH370 that was found this week by an American amateur investigator looking for the plane.

The president of Mozambique’s civil aviation institute (IACM), Joao de Abreu, held up the triangular piece but insisted that speculation it belonged to the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was premature.

“It’s very difficult for any crash investigator to confirm which type of plane that piece belongs to,” Mr de Abreu said.

Mr de Abreu said Malaysia and Australia, which have led the search for the plane, had been informed about the debris.

The piece was reportedly found on the coast of Mozambique, and photos of it have raised hope it could provide clues into what befell the ill-fated flight.

Malaysian transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said that initial information indicated a “high possibility” it came from a Boeing 777.

That is the same model of aircraft as flight MH370, which mysteriously vanished on March 8, 2014, on a routine overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, carrying 239 passengers and crew.

Australian transport minister Darren Chester said the chunk of debris was approximately one metre long.

“The debris is to be transferred to Australia where it will be examined by officials from Australia and Malaysia, as well as international specialists,” he said.

The location of the possible find was consistent with oceanic drift models used by Australian authorities overseeing the huge and costly two-year deep-sea search for signs of MH370, Mr Chester said.

The search has been marked by false leads and Mr Liow cautioned against “undue speculation” until experts have a look.

Last July, a wing fragment was found washed ashore on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion. Experts determined it came from MH370, the only confirmed evidence of the plane’s fate, so far.

Experts believe MH370 veered far off course to somewhere in the far-southern Indian Ocean, where it went down.

The news of the unconfirmed finding comes days ahead of the disaster’s two-year anniversary.

* Agence France-Presse