A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 with the registration 9M-MRG takes off from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Germany. Credit: 123rf
JUST as most have given up hope in the search of missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, evidence have sprung up in the form of a Boeing 777 plane debris, reviving optimism for closure regarding the fate of the missing aircraft.
There is much trepidation however, as many have gotten weary with uneventful news the past 16 months. MH370 vanished in March 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers onboard.
The disappearance of the plane without a trace had left investigators utterly baffled until now, when a maintenance worker discovered a plane debris on the French island of Réunion early Wednesday morning. The 2m-long object is believed to be a flaperon, according to aviation experts.
Réunion lies on the extreme western edge of the Indian Ocean, where search operations were mainly being conducted based on the last satellite pings of the ill-fated plane. Finding debris of MH370 in this part of the world is therefore a believable notion.
“The location is consistent with the drift analysis provided to the Malaysian investigation team, which showed a route from the southern Indian Ocean to Africa,” said Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak in a Reuters report.
But despite the headway, it is unlikely family members of the missing passengers will find easy answers anytime soon.
The debris, along with a luggage fragment found in the area, is currently being flown to the French city of Toulouse, where French and Malaysian aviation experts will meet and examine the findings.
Additional reporting from Reuters.
