Plane debris may be MH370

Investigators headed to a tiny Indian Ocean island Thursday to inspect whether plane wreckage that drifted ashore was from missing flight MH370, raising hopes of solving one of aviation's greatest mysteries. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the two-meter-long piece of wreckage found on the French island of La Reunion was "very likely" from a Boeing 777, but it remained to be seen if it indeed came from MH370. Australia described Wednesday's discovery of the piece of wreckage, which appeared to be part of a wing, as an "important development" after more than 16 months of searching. The wreckage will be sent to France for investigation. Part of a bag was found Thursday on La Reunion not far from plane debris. "The piece of luggage was here since yesterday but nobody really paid attention," said Johnny Begue, a member of the local clean-up association who found the piece of wreckage. But Malaysia Airlines and authorities involved in the search, yet to make a thorough inspection of the debris, cautioned against jumping to quick conclusions. "Whatever wreckage is found needs to be further verified before we can further confirm whether it belongs to MH370," Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai, told reporters. The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, vanished over the South China Sea on March 8 in 2014 shortly after takeoff with 239 people on board. Authorities involved in an Australian-led search at sea believe it eventually went down in the southern Indian Ocean. But no confirmed physical evidence has ever been found and Malaysian authorities in January declared that all on board were presumed dead. "This obviously is a very important development and if it is indeed wreckage from MH370, it starts to provide some closure for the families of the people on board," said Australia's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Warren Truss. Excitement over the discovery was tempered by suggestions it could be from planes that went down in the region before, including a South African Airways Boeing 747 that crashed near the island of Mauritius in 1987, killing all 159 people on board. For relatives of those aboard, torn between wanting closure and believing their loved ones were still somehow alive, the discovery was yet another painful turn on an emotional rollercoaster. Relatives of Chinese passengers on the flight said in a joint statement on Thursday that no matter whether the debris came from the missing airplane or not, the authorities should continue searching for the plane. "The Chinese side will follow closely how this plays out and properly handle relevant follow-up matters," said Hong Lei, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Thursday. Angry next of kin have accused Malaysia's government of incompetence, secrecy, and insensitivity toward relatives, and many have questioned the focus on the Indian Ocean, saying other possibilities were being ignored. "It has started all over again, staring at the phone constantly for news," said Jacquita Gonzales, wife of Patrick Gomes, the flight's cabin crew supervisor. Speculation about the cause of the plane's disappearance has focused primarily on a possible mechanical or structural failure, a hijacking or terror plot, or rogue pilot action. However, no evidence has emerged to substantiate any scenario, sustaining a flow of conspiracy theories, with books, documentaries and online debates positing a range of possibilities. These include suggestions that the plane was diverted to Kazakhstan, or commandeered to be used as a "flying bomb" headed for US military installations on the Diego Garcia atoll, and that it was then shot down by the Americans. The US has dismissed this. La Reunion lies about 4,000 kilometers from the area considered the most likely impact zone, but experts said it could have drifted there.