This Article is From Jul 31, 2015

MH370 Search: Part Number 'Confirms' Debris Is From Boeing 777, Says Official

MH370 Search: Part Number 'Confirms' Debris Is From Boeing 777, Says Official

Policemen carry a piece of debris from an unidentified aircraft found in the coastal area of Saint-Andre de la Reunion, in the east of the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on July 29. (Agence France-Presse)

Kuala Lumpur: A part number on aircraft wreckage recovered in the Indian Ocean confirms it came from a Boeing 777, a Malaysian official said Friday, expressing confidence that the mystery of flight MH370 was close to being solved.

"From the part number, it is confirmed that it is from a Boeing 777 aircraft. This information is from MAS (Malaysia Airlines). They have informed me," Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi told AFP.

The wing component found on the French island of La Reunion bears the part number "657 BB", according to photos of the debris.

AFP was not immediately available to reach Malaysia Airlines for comment.

Abdul Aziz's remarks are the latest by officials involved in the hunt for MH370 to indicate the increasingly likelihood that the piece of wreckage came from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight, a Boeing 777 aircraft.

Hopes are rising fast that the part can soon be conclusively identified to solve the mystery of MH370, which vanished 16 months ago with 239 people aboard.

The two-metre (six-foot) long piece of wreckage, known as a flaperon, has been sent to France for analysis.

Abdul Aziz said the most definitive confirmation of the part's origin would have to come from Boeing, saying the aircraft manufacturer performed modifications to the flaperon that would make it easy to identify.
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