Plane debris found in South Africa, Mauritius from MH370, says Liow

Photo taken on March 21, 2016 at Klein Brak River near Mossel Bay, shows a piece of suspected aircraft wreckage found off the east African coast of Mozambique. - AFP PHOTO / Neels Kruger

PETALING JAYA: Examinations on two pieces of plane debris found in South Africa and Mauritius have been completed and experts concluded they "almost certainly" came from flight MH370.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said following the "thorough examination" by the international experts, the Malaysian ICAO Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team concluded that both pieces of debris "are consistent with panels found on a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft."

"As such, the team has confirmed that both pieces of debris from South Africa and Rodrigues Island are almost certainly from MH370.

"This complements the results from the previous examination in March during which the team confirmed that the Mozambique debris were almost certainly from MH370,” Liow said in a statement on Thursday.

The two pieces of debris discovered in South Africa and Rodrigues Island were an engine cowling piece with a partial Rolls-Royce logo and an interior panel piece from an aircraft cabin.

Liow expressed gratitude to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), Geoscience Australia and Boeing for their undivided commitment and assistance in the examination process.

He also thanked the Governments of Mozambique, Mauritius and South Africa for the effort and cooperation extended to Malaysia in the matter.

Flight MH370 disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers and crew on board.
 
Its journey is believed to have ended in the southern Indian Ocean.