UpdateMH370 watch: Plane debris shipped to France for analysis 'almost certainly' from a Boeing 777
US official says there is 'high confidence' that wreckage is from Boeing 777, the same make as missing Malaysian airliner - and no other 777 is known to have been lost at sea
Malaysia is "almost certain" that plane debris found on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean is from a Boeing 777, the deputy transport minister said today, heightening the possibility it could be wreckage from missing Flight MH370.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said "initial reports suggest the debris is very likely to be from a 777" but that it is too early to speculate.
"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," he said in a statement.
Malaysia sent a team of transport and aviation officials to Toulouse, while a second team is travelling to Reunion Island.
"As soon as we have more information or any verification we will make it public. We have had many false alarms before, but for the sake of the families who have lost loved ones, and suffered such heartbreaking uncertainty, I pray that we will find out the truth so that they may have closure and peace," Najib said.
In another development, local reports said a damaged suitcase was recovered in Saint-Andre, the coastal town on the island where the wing flap was found.
Pictures and French-language reports showed a local man, identified as shore-cleaning association member Johnny Begue, holding the badly mangled debris resembling luggage. However, it was as yet unclear if the discovery was linked to the plane.