Yahoo – AFP,
Dan Martin with Eric Randolph in Paris, 5 August 2015
 |
Police
carry a piece of debris from an unidentified aircraft found on the French
Indian Ocean island of La Reunion on July 29, 2015 (AFP Photo/Yannick Pitou)
|
Debris
found on an Indian Ocean island a week ago is from flight MH370, Malaysia's
prime minister said Thursday, confirming for the first time that the plane
which mysteriously disappeared 17 months ago met a tragic end.
"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 has conclusively confirmed that
the aircraft debris found on Reunion Island is indeed from MH370," Najib
Razak told reporters.
French
prosecutors used more cautious language, saying only there was a "very
high probability" the wreckage came from MH370.
 |
Malaysia's
Prime Minister Najib Razak
delivers a statement on the missing
Malaysia
Airlines flight MH370 in Kuala
Lumpur early on August 6, 2015 (AFP
Photo/Mohd Rasfan) |
The
Malaysia Airlines jet disappeared on March 8 last year, inexplicably veering
off course en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board,
sparking a colossal but ultimately fruitless multinational hunt for the
aircraft.
Last week's
discovery of a two-metre-long (almost seven-foot) wing part called a flaperon
on the French island of La Reunion has provided the first glimmer of hope for
relatives desperate for answers.
It was
examined at a military lab outside the French city of Toulouse in the presence
of Malaysian and Australian experts, Boeing employees and representatives from
China -- the country that lost the most passengers in the disaster.
Malaysia
Airlines hailed the news as a "major breakthrough".
"We
expect and hope that there would be more objects to be found which would be
able to help resolve this mystery," said the airline in a statement.
But some
families said the confirmation was not enough to lay the matter to rest, as
they reiterated demands to know why the plane went off course, flying for hours
after its communications and tracking systems were shut down, in what remains
one of the biggest mysteries in the history of aviation.
"Now I
want to know where the main body of the plane is so that we can take out the
passengers and get the black box so we can know what happened. Only that, for
us, will be full closure," said Jacquita Gonzales, wife of MH370 chief
steward Patrick Gomes.
'A huge
step'
Gerry
Soejatman, a Jakarta-based aviation consultant, said proof the flaperon came
from MH370 was a "huge step".
"People
want all the answers, but look, let's be real. We must be glad that we found
something at all. Now we know roughly where it might have crashed," he
said.
"This
answers a lot of questions actually. It eliminates other theories, conspiracy
theories. If the black box is found later on, it is likely we could get more
answers."
The
Malaysian premier gave no indication that the analysis of the debris yielded
any clues into the cause of the disappearance.
Many
relatives accuse his government and the airline of a bungled response to the
disaster, possible cover-up, and insensitive treatment of families, charges
that are vehemently denied.
"I
would like to assure all those affected by this tragedy that the government of
Malaysia is committed to do everything within our means to find out the truth
of what happened," Najib said.
"MH370's
disappearance marked us as a nation. We mourn with you, as a nation."
 |
A policeman
and a gendarme stand next to a piece of debris from an aircraft on the
Indian
Ocean island of La Reunion on July 29, 2015 (AFP Photo/Yannick Pitou)
|
Starting
grieving process
It is hoped
that more detailed examination in the coming days can yield information on the
final moments of the plane by showing how it detached itself from the wing, or
whether it showed traces of an explosion or fire.
Scientists
have also pointed to the barnacles attached to the flaperon, saying these could
give an idea of how long the fragment had been in the water, and perhaps where
it had been.
"If it
has cold-water barnacles on it that might tell them it went down further south
than they think. Or if it's got only tropical barnacles, that might tell them
it went down further north," said Shane Ahyong, a crustacean specialist
from the Australian Museum.
For the
victims' loved ones, any tangible piece of information is likely to help them
in seeking closure, according to psychologist Carole Damiani, who specialises
in helping the families of people who died in disasters.
"The
grieving process is about untying oneself from someone, accepting that they
will not be found and they have gone forever," she said.
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