MH370 update: cushions and window panes found

MH370 update: cushions and window panes found

France is launching new searches by air, land and sea from the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, in the hope of finding more wreckage from MH370.

A Casa military aircraft will begin surveying the area from Friday morning, the French government said in a statement.

The search will also be stepped up with foot patrols, helicopters and maritime units, it added.

According to reports from ABC, aircraft seat cushions and window panes have been found on La Reunion, the small island in the Indian Ocean where wreckage from flight MH370 was recovered, Malaysia’s transport minister says.

“We have also found debris like window panes, aluminium foil and seat cushions,” Liow Tiong Lai said.

Liow specified he was referring to aircraft seat cushions and windows, and added it remained to be seen whether the latest items found on the island were from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight.

“They are little parts, but the debris cannot be verified if it belongs to MH370. It has to be verified by the French authorities,” he said.

“Any discovery will be immediately made available to the investigation,” said the joint statement by the French ministers of defence, transport and overseas territories.

Separately, local authorities for the island, where the first piece of debris was found, said they would organise a thorough search for other parts from the plane starting on Monday.

The renewed efforts to hunt for MH370 wreckage came after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that a two-metre-long wing part discovered on Reunion island was from the missing plane.

But French prosecutors involved in assessing the wing part used more cautious language than Najib, saying there was a “very high probability” it came from MH370.

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

malaysia malaysia airlines mh370

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