MH 370 debris to be shipped to France for investigation

London, July 30: Aircraft debris found in the Indian Ocean will be shipped to France for investigation, said Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Thursday.

To find out as fast as possible, the debris will be shipped by French authorities to Toulouse, site of the nearest office of the BEA, the French authority responsible for civil aviation accident investigations, The Telegraph reported.

Air safety investigators - one of them a Boeing investigator - have identified the component as a "flaperon" from the trailing edge of a 777 wing, the US official said yesterday. A French official close to an investigation of the debris confirmed yesterday that French law enforcement is on site to examine a piece of airplane wing found on the French island of Reunion, in the western Indian Ocean.

According to initial reports the debris is expected to be from a Boeing 777, that has to be verified whether it is from flight MH370. At this stage it is too early to speculate.

A Malaysian team comprising representatives from the Ministry of Transport, the Department of Civil Aviation, the MH370 investigation team, and Malaysia Airlines to visit Toulouse.

Simultaneously, a second Malaysian team is travelling to where the debris was found on Reunion.

A French television network was airing video from its Reunion affiliate of the debris. US investigators are examining a photo of the debris. The last primary radar contact with Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 placed its position over the Andaman Sea about 230 miles northwest of the Malaysian city of Penang.

The French island of Reunion is about 3,500 miles (5,600 kilometres) southwest of Penang, according to a Google map. The US and French officials spoke on condition that they not be named because they aren't authorised to speak publicly.

OneIndia News