Plane debris found in Reunion Island belongs to MH370: Malaysia PM

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has confirmed that the recently discovered debris on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion belongs to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

“Today, 515 days since the plane disappeared, it is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you that an international team of experts have ... confirmed that the aircraft debris found on Reunion Island is indeed from MH370," announced Najib during a press conference in the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur early on Thursday.

"We now have physical evidence, that as I announced 24th March last year, flight MH370, tragically ended in the Southern Indian Ocean," he went on to say, and thanked many nations, organizations, and individuals who had participated in the search.

The Malaysian premier again expressed his deep sympathy for all those who lost their beloved ones in the tragic incident last year and hoped that the news might bring some certainty to the grieving families. He said Malaysia, as a nation, would mourn with them, and would always remember and honor those who lost their lives onboard MH370.

“The burden and uncertainty faced by the families during this time has been unspeakable. It is my hope that this confirmation, however tragic and painful, will at least bring certainty to the families and loved ones of the 239 people onboard MH370. They have our deepest sympathy and prayers,” he said, and promised, “the government of Malaysia is committed to do everything” to find out the truth of what happened.

Following the announcement made by the premier, Malaysia Airlines released a statement expressing its deepest “sorrow” to the families and friends of the ill-fated passengers and confirmed that the discovered debris “was indeed” from flight MH370.

“This is indeed a major breakthrough for us in resolving the disappearance of MH370…Moving forward, Malaysia Airlines’ priority will continue to provide latest updates and information to the families and will fully cooperate with the relevant authorities on the investigation and recovery of this tragic accident,” the statement further read.

These announcements did end the long agonizing wait for the mourning families and might bring some peace to them. However, for investigating teams and the aviation industry, the vexing question of what really caused the tragedy still remained almost untouched.

The piece of debris, a wing component called a flaperon, was discovered on July 29 in the coastal area of Saint-Andre de la Reunion, in the east of the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, near Madagascar.

The MH370 flight went missing with its 239 passengers and crew on March 8, 2014, shortly after taking off from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur when it deviated from its planned flight route to Beijing. 

Following a massive international search for the airliner in the South Indian Ocean, the China Sea, and the Gulf of Thailand, investigators came up empty handed, eventually concluding that the aircraft had likely flown thousands of kilometers in an unknown direction before crashing.

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