MH370: DCA to send experts upon confirmation from Mauritius on new debris found

The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) is waiting for confirmation from the Mauritius regulatory body before they can send its expert team to the actual location where another piece of plane debris was discovered last week.

Its director-general Datuk Seri Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said DCA could not confirm if the fragment that was found on April 2 was from the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 until it is examined by the experts.

"We are still waiting for confirmation, probably in the next one or two days," he told Bernama today.

He said the new fragment found would be brought back to Malaysia and DCA would work with other reliable parties that could further assist in the investigation.

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Meanwhile, Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester confirmed another piece of debris that was found in Mauritius on April 2 would be examined in connection with the disappearance of MH370.

In a statement from the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) website, he said the new debris found was an item of interest.

"The Malaysian government is working with officials from Mauritius to seek to take custody of the debris and arrange for its examination.

"However until the debris has been examined by experts it is not possible to ascertain its origin," he said.

The report said more than 95,000 sq km of the 120,000 sq km search zone had been completed.

On March 8, 2014, the Beijing-bound MAS Boeing 777-200ER aircraft with 239 passengers and crew members on board disappeared from the radar about 49 minutes after taking off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 12.41 am.

The search for the missing plane is being conducted in the southern Indian Ocean.