MH370: Part from Mauritius

Australian air crash investigators have concluded an aircraft part found on the island came from missing flight MH370.

A trailing edge section of the Boeing 777, left, and bottom, and an outboard flap, originating from the Malaysian Airlines aircraft MH370.

Australian air crash investigators have concluded an aircraft part found washed ashore on the island of Mauritius came from missing flight MH370. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said the item of composite material found in May had been identified as a trailing edge splice strap from a Boeing 777 left outboard flap.

A unique work order number on this part confirmed it came from MH370, which disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people on board while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Transport Minister Darren Chester said this was the third piece of debris conclusively linked to MH370 and it confirmed the focus of the search in the southern Indian Ocean.

But it provided no information that could be used to determine the aircaft’s location, he said.

At a meeting in July, ministers from Australia, Malaysia and China agreed to suspend the search if the aircraft was not found in the current search area and if no new, credible information emerged indicating its location. “The search for MH370 is continuing and we remain hopeful the aircraft will be located,” he said in a statement.

AAP