Mozambique debris almost certainly from MH370: report

By P Prem Kumar

KUALA LUMPUR

Two pieces of debris found in Mozambique have been confirmed to “almost certainly” originate from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, according to Australian officials Wednesday.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which is leading the search for the aircraft that disappeared in March 2014, revealed in its Technical Examination Report that both pieces were proven to be from the wing of a Boeing 777.

"The font and colour of a number stencilled on the first part conforms to that developed and used by Malaysia Airlines," Australia's infrastructure and transport minister, Darren Chester, said in the statement Wednesday.

"I welcome the Technical Examination Report released by the ATSB confirming the debris almost certainly originated from MH370."

Chester said the second debris item contained the words "No Step" with stenciling consistent with that used by Malaysia Airlines, while a fastener attached to the part provided evidence linking it to the aircraft's production line.

The minister also confirmed that efforts would continue in the final 20,000 square kilometers (7,722 square miles) of the search area in the south Indian Ocean, where a Chinese vessel is set to be re-deployed after the recovery of sonar equipment lost earlier.

Since the plane vanished March 8, 2014, carrying 239 passengers and crew members, including 152 Chinese citizens, six pieces of aircraft debris suspected of originating from MH370 have been found.

The search and rescue mission -- which began immediately -- involved some 160 assets inclusive of 65 aircraft and 95 vessels as well as experts from 25 countries.

After 10 months of intensive undersea search for the vanished flight, on Jan. 29 2015 Malaysia declared that MH370 was lost in an accident, killing all passengers.

On July 29 last year, a piece of aircraft debris was found washed ashore on the French island, east of Madagascar. The debris -- believed to be from a Boeing 777 -- was sent to Toulouse, France, for analysis the following day.

Days after, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that the flaperon was from MH370, and that the flight had ended in the Indian Ocean.