Malaysian team collects more plane parts in MH370 probe
Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tong Lai speaks during a press conference on the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in Putrajaya, Malaysia Thursday. Pic: AP.
Malaysia’s transport minister says a Malaysian team at the French territory of Reunion Island has collected other plane debris including a window and some aluminum foil.
But Liow Tiong Lai says he cannot confirm they belong to Flight 370, which went missing on March 8, 2014 with 239 people on board. “I can only ascertain that it’s plane debris.”
Liow told reporters “there are many items collected” from the Indian Ocean island where a wing part was found last week, which was confirmed earlier Thursday to be from Flight 370.
Liow said the new debris has been sent “to the French authorities for verification. I cannot confirm that it’s from MH370.”
Liow says Malaysia has asked authorities in neighboring areas including Mauritius and Madagascar to help comb their beaches for possible debris to widen the search.
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the discovery of the plane wing part has reopened wounds in the mystery of MH370.
Kerry, who is in Malaysia for meetings with Southeast Asian counterparts, says the U.S. hopes that the debris that was discovered on Reunion Island — if it is found to be conclusively from the aircraft — will help to bring some sense of closure.
He says perhaps even more reliable information that can be tracked from the sea currents may narrow the area of search.
He also commended the French authorities and other international experts for their diligence in the analysis of the wing as well as in the ongoing search.
