Malaysian Prime Minister: Debris is from MH370

By Catherine E. Shoichet, Ashley Fantz and Jethro Mullen, CNN
Updated 12:49 AM EDT, Thu August 6, 2015
Caption:Police officers inspect metallic debris found on a beach in Saint-Denis on the French Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean on August 2, 2015, close to where a Boeing 777 wing part believed to belong to missing flight MH370 washed up last week. A piece of metal was found on La Reunion island, where a Boeing 777 wing part believed to belong to missing flight MH370 washed up last week, said a source close to the investigation. Investigators on the Indian Ocean island took the debris into evidence as part of their probe into the fate of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, however nothing indicated the piece of metal came from an airplane, the source said. AFP PHOTO / RICHARD BOUHET (Photo credit should read RICHARD BOUHET/AFP/Getty Images)
Caption:Police officers inspect metallic debris found on a beach in Saint-Denis on the French Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean on August 2, 2015, close to where a Boeing 777 wing part believed to belong to missing flight MH370 washed up last week. A piece of metal was found on La Reunion island, where a Boeing 777 wing part believed to belong to missing flight MH370 washed up last week, said a source close to the investigation. Investigators on the Indian Ocean island took the debris into evidence as part of their probe into the fate of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, however nothing indicated the piece of metal came from an airplane, the source said. AFP PHOTO / RICHARD BOUHET (Photo credit should read RICHARD BOUHET/AFP/Getty Images)
PHOTO: Richard Bouhet/AFP/Getty
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Story highlights

NEW: Analyst: In a "tug of war among nations," passengers' families seem to be stuck in the middle

Najib Razak announces that the debris found on Reunion island was part of missing aircraft

A French prosecutor says more tests will be done to determine whether it's from MH370

(CNN) —  

Malaysia’s Prime Minister left no room for doubt.

The piece of a plane wing that washed up on an island in the Indian Ocean, he announced, was indeed part of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

“It is my hope that this confirmation, however tragic and painful,” Prime Minister Najib Razak said, “will at least bring certainty to the families and loved ones of the 239 people on board MH370.”

But a top French prosecutor was slightly less definite when he stepped up to a podium in his country an hour later.

There are “very strong presumptions” that the part belongs to the missing Boeing 777, Paris Deputy Prosecutor Serge Mackowiak said, adding that more testing will be done to prove it conclusively.

France, which already had opened a criminal investigation into the plane’s disappearance, has been drawn deeper into the matter after the plane part’s discovery last month on Reunion island, a remote part of its overseas territory. Investigators at a specialized laboratory in Toulouse are examining it.

Even with tests ongoing, analysts said the Malaysian government’s highly anticipated announcement marks a key step in the investigation into what happened to the plane.

But several passengers’ family members said they weren’t sure what to believe after hearing both officials speak.

“I was left somewhat confused and, frankly, a little angry and dismayed,” said K.S. Narendran, whose wife was one of the passengers.

Authorities announced their conclusions, Narendran said, without detailing their findings.

“I didn’t hear facts. I didn’t hear the basics. I heard nothing,” he said, “and so it leaves me wondering whether there is a foregone conclusion and everyone is racing for the finish.”

Investigators analyze debris

When the debris – a part of a wing known as a flaperon – washed up July 29 on Reunion island, its discovery was considered possibly the first physical evidence that might help shed light on a mystery that has vexed even the most seasoned aviation experts: How could a commercial airplane just vanish?

On Wednesday, investigators met at a specialized laboratory near Toulouse to begin examining the part. Their work took hours, and Najib made the announcement very early Thursday, Kuala Lumpur time, 515 days since the flight bound for Beijing from the Malaysian capital disappeared with 239 people aboard.

Shortly before he spoke, Malaysia Airlines sent a message to victims’ families saying a “major announcement” that the flaperon was from the missing plane was imminent.

“This has been confirmed jointly by the French Authorities, Bureau d’Enquetes et d’Analyses pour la Securites de I’Aviation Civile (BEA), the Malaysian Investigation Team, Technical Representative from PRC and Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB),” the airline’s statement said.

The French prosecutor, who’s involved in a criminal probe that country launched because four French nationals were aboard the flight, said the flaperon matches a Boeing 777, and the characteristics of the part match the technical specifications provided by Malaysia Airlines for that part of the missing aircraft.

But he phrased his assessment differently from the Malaysian Prime Minister, saying the analysis of the flaperon would continue in order to provide “complete and reliable information.”

It sounded “less certain,” said Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“Really, we didn’t get too much more than what Boeing already told us from looking at the pictures,” she said. “So I was actually a little disappointed, thinking what the families must think on hearing that.”

In a “tug of war among nations,” she said, the passengers’ families seem to be stuck in the middle.

Relatives of those on board have said real closure won’t come until their family members’ remains have been recovered and the truth about what happened to the plane is established.

Progress on those fronts is unlikely to be made unless the Australian-led underwater hunt locates the aircraft’s wreckage and flight recorders somewhere in the huge southern Indian Ocean search area, which covers and area bigger than the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.

The mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: What you need to know

Experts answer your questions about MH370

Global effort to solve mystery

Malaysia, the country where MH370 began its journey and whose flag it was carrying, is in charge of the overall investigations.

But there are a number of other countries involved.

French authorities have also opened their own criminal investigation last year into possible manslaughter and hijacking in the loss of MH370.

Officials from Australia earlier said they thought it was likely that the Boeing wing component was from MH370 – no other 777 aircraft was believed to have gone missing in the Indian Ocean.

Australia is overseeing the underwater search for the wreckage because the plane is believed to have gone down far off its western coast, in a remote part of the southern Indian Ocean.

China, which had the largest number of citizens on the plane, has been involved in decisions about the search for the plane.

Two years after Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing, a relative of one of the passengers burns incense in Beijing on March 8, 2016. Flight 370 vanished on March 8, 2014, as it flew from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing. There were 239 people on board.
Photos: The search for MH370
Two years after Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing, a relative of one of the passengers burns incense in Beijing on March 8, 2016. Flight 370 vanished on March 8, 2014, as it flew from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing. There were 239 people on board.
PHOTO: Visual China Group/Getty Images
On July 29, police carry a piece of debris on Reunion Island, a French territory in the Indian Ocean. A week later, authorities confirmed that the debris was from the missing flight.
Photos: The search for MH370
On July 29, police carry a piece of debris on Reunion Island, a French territory in the Indian Ocean. A week later, authorities confirmed that the debris was from the missing flight.
PHOTO: Lucas Marie/AP
Staff members with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau examine a piece of aircraft debris at their laboratory in Canberra, Australia, on July 20. The flap was found in June by residents on Pemba Island off the coast of Tanzania, and officials had said it was highly likely to have come from Flight 370. Experts at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is heading up the search for the plane, confirmed that the part was indeed from the missing aircraft.
Photos: The search for MH370
Staff members with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau examine a piece of aircraft debris at their laboratory in Canberra, Australia, on July 20. The flap was found in June by residents on Pemba Island off the coast of Tanzania, and officials had said it was highly likely to have come from Flight 370. Experts at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is heading up the search for the plane, confirmed that the part was indeed from the missing aircraft.
PHOTO: ATSB/AP
In late February, American tourist Blaine Gibson found a piece of plane debris off Mozambique, a discovery that renewed hope of solving the mystery of the missing flight. The piece measured 35 inches by 22 inches. A U.S. official said it was likely the wreckage came from a Boeing 777, which MH370 was.
Photos: The search for MH370
In late February, American tourist Blaine Gibson found a piece of plane debris off Mozambique, a discovery that renewed hope of solving the mystery of the missing flight. The piece measured 35 inches by 22 inches. A U.S. official said it was likely the wreckage came from a Boeing 777, which MH370 was.
PHOTO: Blaine Gibson
Relatives of the flight
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Relatives of the flight's passengers console each other outside the Malaysia Airlines office in Subang, Malaysia, on February 12, 2015. Protesters had demanded that the airline withdraw the statement that all 239 people aboard the plane were dead.
PHOTO: MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images
A police officer watches a couple cry outside the airline
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A police officer watches a couple cry outside the airline's office building in Beijing after officials refused to meet with them on June 11, 2014. The couple's son was on the plane.
PHOTO: Andy Wong/AP
Members of the media scramble to speak with Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director general of Malaysia
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Members of the media scramble to speak with Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director general of Malaysia's Civil Aviation Department, at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 27, 2014. Data from communications between satellites and the missing flight was released the day before, more than two months after relatives of passengers said they requested it be made public.
PHOTO: MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images
Operators aboard the Australian ship Ocean Shield move Bluefin-21, the U.S. Navy
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Operators aboard the Australian ship Ocean Shield move Bluefin-21, the U.S. Navy's autonomous underwater vehicle, into position to search for the jet on April 14, 2014.
PHOTO: Peter D. Blair/U.S. Navy/UPI/LANDOV
A member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force looks out of a window while searching for debris off the coast of western Australia on April 13, 2014.
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A member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force looks out of a window while searching for debris off the coast of western Australia on April 13, 2014.
PHOTO: Greg Wood/Pool/AP
The HMS Echo, a vessel with the British Roya; Navy, moves through the waters of the southern Indian Ocean on April 12, 2014.
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The HMS Echo, a vessel with the British Roya; Navy, moves through the waters of the southern Indian Ocean on April 12, 2014.
PHOTO: British Ministry of Defence
A Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion, on a mission to drop sonar buoys to assist in the search, flies past the Australian vessel Ocean Shield on April 9, 2014.
Photos: The search for MH370
A Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion, on a mission to drop sonar buoys to assist in the search, flies past the Australian vessel Ocean Shield on April 9, 2014.
PHOTO: LSIS Bradley Darvill/Australian Defense Force/AP
A relative of a missing passenger cries at a vigil in Beijing on April 8, 2014.
Photos: The search for MH370
A relative of a missing passenger cries at a vigil in Beijing on April 8, 2014.
PHOTO: STRinger/AFP/Getty Images
Australian Defense Force divers scan the water for debris in the southern Indian Ocean on April 7, 2014.
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Australian Defense Force divers scan the water for debris in the southern Indian Ocean on April 7, 2014.
PHOTO: Lt. Ryan Davis/Australian Defense Force/AP
A towed pinger locator is readied to be deployed off the deck of the Australian vessel Ocean Shield on April 7, 2014.
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A towed pinger locator is readied to be deployed off the deck of the Australian vessel Ocean Shield on April 7, 2014.
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A member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force looks at a flare in the Indian Ocean during search operations on April 4, 2014.
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A member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force looks at a flare in the Indian Ocean during search operations on April 4, 2014.
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On March 30, 2014, a woman in Kuala Lumpur prepares for an event in honor of those aboard Flight 370.
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On March 30, 2014, a woman in Kuala Lumpur prepares for an event in honor of those aboard Flight 370.
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The sole representative for the families of Flight 370 passengers leaves a conference at a Beijing hotel on March 28, 2014, after other relatives left en masse to protest the Malaysian government
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The sole representative for the families of Flight 370 passengers leaves a conference at a Beijing hotel on March 28, 2014, after other relatives left en masse to protest the Malaysian government's response to their questions.
PHOTO: Ng Han Guan/AP
A member of the Royal Australian Air Force is silhouetted against the southern Indian Ocean during the search for the missing jet on March 27, 2014.
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A member of the Royal Australian Air Force is silhouetted against the southern Indian Ocean during the search for the missing jet on March 27, 2014.
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Flight Lt. Jayson Nichols looks at a map aboard a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft during a search on March 27, 2014.
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Flight Lt. Jayson Nichols looks at a map aboard a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft during a search on March 27, 2014.
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People in Kuala Lumpur light candles during a ceremony held for the missing flight
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People in Kuala Lumpur light candles during a ceremony held for the missing flight's passengers on March 27, 2014.
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Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, delivers a statement about the flight on March 24, 2014. Razak
Photos: The search for MH370
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, delivers a statement about the flight on March 24, 2014. Razak's announcement came after the airline sent a text message to relatives saying it "deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH 370 has been lost and that none of those onboard survived."
PHOTO: MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images
Grieving relatives of missing passengers leave a hotel in Beijing on March 24, 2014.
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Grieving relatives of missing passengers leave a hotel in Beijing on March 24, 2014.
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A passenger views a weather map in the departures terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 22, 2014.
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A passenger views a weather map in the departures terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 22, 2014.
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A Chinese satellite captured this image, released on March 22, 2014, of a floating object in the Indian Ocean, according to China
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A Chinese satellite captured this image, released on March 22, 2014, of a floating object in the Indian Ocean, according to China's State Administration of Science. It was a possible lead in the search for the missing plane. Surveillance planes were looking for two objects spotted by satellite imagery in remote, treacherous waters more than 1,400 miles from the west coast of Australia.
PHOTO: China's State Admiration of Science
Satellite imagery provided by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority on March 20, 2014, showed debris in the southern Indian Ocean that could have been from Flight 370. The announcement by Australian officials raised hopes of a breakthrough in the frustrating search.
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Satellite imagery provided by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority on March 20, 2014, showed debris in the southern Indian Ocean that could have been from Flight 370. The announcement by Australian officials raised hopes of a breakthrough in the frustrating search.
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Another satellite shot provided by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority shows possible debris from the flight.
Photos: The search for MH370
Another satellite shot provided by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority shows possible debris from the flight.
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Photos: The search for MH370
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Photos: The search for MH370
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Chinese police at the Beijing airport stand beside the arrival board showing delayed Flight 370 in red on March 8, 2014.
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Malaysia Airlines Group CEO Ahmad Juahari Yahya, front, speaks during a news conference at a hotel in Sepang on March 8, 2014. "We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts" with the jet, he said.
Photos: The search for MH370
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U.S. and British government agencies – as well as experts from Boeing and the satellite company Inmarsat – have contributed to the investigations.

The Toulouse lab previously examined wreckage from Air France Flight 447, a passenger jet that went down in the Atlantic Ocean en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris in 2009.

The remnants of a suitcase found on Reunion the day after the flaperon was discovered have been sent to a lab outside Paris for analysis.

Three things that could help tie the part to the plane

Debris won’t change underwater search

The wing part found on Reunion won’t prompt a rethink of the search area, Australian officials say.

“Because of the turbulent nature of the ocean, and the uncertainties of the modeling, it is impossible to use the La Reunion finding to refine or shift the search area,” the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in a report published Tuesday, citing the country’s national science agency.

That the debris drifted thousands of miles to the west of the underwater search area is consistent with ocean drift models, Australian officials say.

The ATSB report admitted, though, that an earlier prediction that some debris from MH370 could wash up in July 2014 on the shores of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, north of where the aircraft is calculated to have entered the ocean, was incorrect because of an error in the use of wind data.

Searches are taking place on Reunion for more possible debris from MH370. But Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss has said he’s doubtful many pieces are likely to turn up.

“Reunion Island is a pretty small speck in a giant Indian Ocean,” he told The Wall Street Journal. “Most pieces that were even floating by the time they got to this area would simply float past.”

Complete coverage of MH370

CNN’s Yuli Yang, Dana Ford, Bharati Naik and David Molko contributed to this report.