Search for MH370 wreckage intensifies at Reunion Island

Investigators in France weren’t so sure quite yet.

Relatives of those on board have long been frustrated by Malaysia’s handling of the disaster, which at times has been marred by contradictory and conflicting information.

“From our first observation, the color tone and all maintenance records that we have, we know”, Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said. Only the flaperon and the suitcase have been sent to our department in Paris.

Madam Dai Shuqin, whose sister was on the flight, said Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak can not be trusted.

Australian officials have said they have no plans to modify the search area in light of the discovery of the flaperon on Reunion, noting that their calculations suggest some debris could have ended up there.

A woman whose relative was aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, cries as she and other family members kneel down in front of media ahead of a briefing given by Malaysia Airlines, in Beijing today.

Caroline Sapriel, managing director of CS&A, which advises companies on crisis management, said that the airline must communicate the developments “sensitively to the families and all stakeholders otherwise it may end up being perceived wrongly and have a further deteriorating effect on their already tainted reputation”. Authority of France’s oversea island La Reunion has confirmed the plan of search for more MH370 parts and said the search will last for at least one week.

Protests outside the Malaysian embassy in Beijing weeks after the plane disappeared also unnerved Chinese authorities who are wary of any form of public protest. “Australia is involved because not only did we have Australians on board, we have also taken over the lead of the search effort in the southern Indian ocean so Australia will have a representative in the investigation team and we’ll be able to have our own direct access to what’s going on”.

“I can only ascertain that it’s plane debris“, Mr Liow said.

France is to conduct air, land and sea searches in and around the island of Reunion in the hope of finding more debris which could be linked to MH370.

“We owe it to our loved ones not to declare them lost without 100% certainty”, said a short statement posted to the official microblog of missing Chinese passengers’ families.

French officials have said no other airplane debris has been found.

Flight MH370 vanished enroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 previous year.

Investigators believe that someone may have deliberately switched off the aircraft’s transponder, diverted it off course and deliberately crashed into the sea.

The confirmation by Malaysia that the piece of a plane’s wing found washed up on the French island of Reunion belongs to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is but a small part of the mystery.