Suspected MH370 debris arrives in Australia for verification

Kuala Lumpur, March 20: Malaysian officials said on Sunday that two pieces of suspected debris of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 have arrived in Australia for verification.

Both pieces of debris arrived in Australia on Sunday and the verification process would commence in Canberra on Monday by an international investigation team, Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said in a statement.

Assistance would be provided by experts from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), the Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia (DCA), Malaysia Airlines and Boeing to verify the origins, he said.

Both pieces of debris were discovered in Mozambique. One of the pieces was found by South African holiday makers and was brought back to their home country.

A Malaysian team retrieved the debris from South African authorities, said Liow.

The other piece which was also discovered recently in the nearby French overseas Reunion Island was said to be unlikely from the missing flight.

A wing part called flaperon washed ashore to the Reunion Island last year remained the only confirmed debris from MH370 so far.

Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 enroute from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing with 239 people on board.

A joint search in South Indian Ocean, where the flight presumably had ended its journey, has yet to found its wreckage.

IANS