Debris, flaperon face further scrutiny for links to MH370

KUALA LUMPUR — After the discovery of a Boeing 777 flaperon on Reunion Island last week, Malaysia’s Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said more debris collected is being investigated for links to the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 —including “some sort of aluminium frame” and “broken pieces of material from a plane”.

Speaking at a press conference in Selangor yesterday, Mr Liow said further verification of the flaperon and other debris would begin tomorrow at an aeronautical testing facility in Toulouse, where the items that washed up on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean are now stored.

He added that he did not know how long the verification process would take. “The flaperon arrived in France only on Saturday. There is a legal process to put the protocols in place,” he said.

The Malaysian government had sent two teams — one to France to aid with and observe the analysis; and another to Reunion Island to comb the beaches for more debris.

The team on the island, said Mr Liow, had found more debris linked to the aircraft, including aluminium frames and “broken pieces of materials from planes”.

“As of today, we have found some debris, but it has yet to be confirmed if it is from MH370,” he said.

The minister added that based on ocean-drift analysis, there is a possibility more debris may be washed up, including on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

“We have informed the world about the drift pattern,” he said.

Malaysia said on Sunday that the flaperon found last week had been identified as being from a Boeing 777, the same model as MH370 which went missing on March 8 last year.

Although the Malaysia Airlines plane is the only Boeing 777 to be lost in the Indian Ocean, the authorities have not confirmed the debris’ link to the missing jet.

Mr Liow yesterday cautioned against unnecessary speculation until the origin of the debris is verified, saying it was upsetting family members of those on Flight MH370. “Let’s wait for the verification process. It is wrong to relay any information that is beyond reasonable doubt,” he said.

For a definitive link to the Malaysian plane, investigators would look for other proof on sub-components, including inspection stamps and serial numbers on pieces in the flap assembly, said Mr John Purvis, who used to lead Boeing’s accident-investigations unit.

Developments in the past week have been prolonging the uncertainty for friends and relatives of those who have vanished.

In nearly 17 months since the plane disappeared with 239 people on board, no physical remnants of the aircraft have been identified.

“Everybody is really anxious. No one is sleeping,” Ms Grace Subithirai Nathan, whose mother was on board the jet, said by phone from Kuala Lumpur.

“Before this, a lot of us thought it would be good to find something and have closure. But we would rather they’re still alive somewhere.”

Finding what appears to be a part of the plane raises the level of hope for families, said Dr Geoffrey Glassock, a psychologist who has counselled people bereaved in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. “But it doesn’t take away the pain of their loss. You’re never going to remove that.”

Mr Wen Wancheng, whose son was on board Flight MH370, is planning to travel to Reunion from his home in Shandong province to join the search.

“The wing debris found on the island is only a small part of the plane, and there must be more, larger parts to be found,” he said via an online message. “I’m ready for the trip.”

Flight MH370 was en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur when it vanished without a trace. By analysing satellite signals, investigators concluded that the jet had turned back over the Indian Ocean and probably plunged into the sea off Australia’s western coast.

The wreckage that washed ashore on Reunion is the strongest clue yet in a search that is now the longest ever for a missing commercial jet. AGENCIES