Reunion islanders hunt for MH370 clues shows no link
A fevered hunt for more wreckage from missing flight MH370 on La Reunion island turned up no new clues Sunday as authorities said metallic debris found by locals did not come from an airplane.
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The object, believed to be the door of an aircraft, was discovered just south of the city of St Denis on Sunday.
It was picked up by a stroller on the beach, and later handed to the police for checking.
Locals on La Reunion island have been combing the shores since a Boeing 777 wing part was found there last Wednesday.
Now even the slightest object is matter of speculation. The metallic debris discovered, measuring about 100 square centimetres (15 square inches), allegedly had two Chinese characters inscribed on it. Not taking any chances, investigators straight away placed it into an iron case.
Shortly afterwards, another man went to the police boasting a piece of debris measuring 70 centimetres (27 inches), guessing it was part of a plane door.
Speculation is rife that any clue found could provide experts with tangible proof capable of unlocking the 16-month mystery of why the Malaysia Airlines plane vanished.
Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared last March with 239 people on board, most of them Chinese.
Malaysia's transport ministry says it now wants to expand the search for more debris around Reunion. But those discovered in the Indian Ocean, have at least revived hopes that investigators are looking in the right place.
Meanwhile, the wing flap found Wednesday - and “officially identified” as coming from a Boeing 777- has been sent to France, where investigators in the city of Toulouse will seek to establish if it came from MH370. They will begin their work this Wednesday.
Fragments of a suitcase found on the same beach are also to be examined.
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