Suspected MH370 debris being examined in Australia

Canberra, April 19: Pieces of debris suspected to be parts of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 will be shipped back to Malaysia this week after undergoing careful examination by Australia's Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

In a statement released by the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) -- the body in charge of Australia's MH370 investigation -- the pieces of debris found in Mozambique would be heading back to Malaysia, while debris found in South Africa last month would undergo further testing, Xinhua news agency reported.

A spokesperson from the ATSB said the new debris, including the piece with the Rolls Royce logo (thought to be from an engine cowling) had undergone a series of tests in order to link it to the missing aircraft.

"The two other items -- the South Africa piece with the Rolls Royce logo and the Rodrigues Island piece -- were brought to the ATSB laboratories on April 13," the spokesman said on Tuesday.

"Investigators from the ATSB and the Malaysian authorities are currently examining those two pieces for details which would serve to identify them as coming from a Boeing 777, and in particular for any details which might serve to link the debris as coming from MH370."

The pieces heading to Malaysia this week were earlier this year determined to "almost certainly" be from MH370, and were deemed to be from a flap track fairing segment and a horizontal stabiliser panel segment.

MH370 was a scheduled passenger flight from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing, which went missing with 239 people on board on March 8, 2014.

IANS