Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai
PUTRAJAYA: Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) experts have concluded that the debris found on Mauritius island was from the vanished Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the finding marked the latest piece of debris that had been examined, analysed and confirmed to have originated from aircraft 9M-MRO, also known as MH370, following the confirmation of the Tanzania debris last month.
“From a part number found on a section of the debris, the piece has been identified as a trailing edge splice strap, incorporated into the rear spar assembly of a Boeing 777 left outboard flap. This is also consistent with the appearance and construction of the debris,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Liow added that adjacent to the part number was a second part identifier. He said the flap manufacturer supplied records indicating that the work order number was incorporated into the outboard flap shipset line number 404, corresponds to the Boeing 777 aircraft line number 404, and registered as 9M-MRO (MH370).
Flight MH370, carrying 239 passengers and crew, disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing on March 8, 2014.
The jetliner has yet to be found despite a massive search operation in the southern Indian Ocean, where the aircraft was believed to have ended its flight after diverting from its original route.
On July 22 this year, Malaysia, China and Australia said the search for the missing aircraft would be suspended upon completion of the 120,000 sq km sweep of the ocean. — Bernama