Illustrative image (Source: http://www.bbc.com)
Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Two pieces of aircraft debris found in South Africa and Rodrigues Island of Mauritius last March have been identified as being "almost certainly" from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, said the Malaysian Government on May 12.
Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said an international investigation team concluded that both pieces of debris are consistent with panels found on a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane, adding that they "are almost certainly from MH370”.
A piece of engine cowling with a partial Rolls Royce logo that was discovered in South Africa and an piece of interior panel from an aircraft cabin that washed ashore in Rodrigues Island were sent to Australia for inspection.
Investigators said the Rolls-Royce logo on the South African-found debris was consistent with the Malaysia Airlines variant, while the piece of aircraft cabin was said to look like those used for the Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 777 aircraft.
To date, a total of five pieces of debris of the aircraft have been found in different locations in Indian Ocean.
As planned, Malaysia, Australia and China will hold a ministerial-level meeting later next month to decide on future search operations.
More than 103,000 out of 120,000 square kilometres of the search area have been combed so far.
Flight MH370, with 239 people on board, disappeared on March 8, 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for Beijing, China.
The main body of the plane has not yet been found so far, and the fate of the 227 passengers and 12 crew members still remains unknown.-VNA
