Authorities have confirmed that a piece of aircraft debris discovered off the coast of Tanzania in June is part of missing Malaysia Airlines plane MH370, according to a Reuters report.
The plane disappeared more than two years ago with 239 passengers and crew on board. Despite exhaustive searching since then, few traces have turned up.
The debris is an outboard flap – part of the plane’s wing, according to Reuters. It was found on the island of Pemba, several thousand kilometers away from where the plane was supposed to have crashed. The debris was shipped to Canberra for examination by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
In a report released Thursday, ATSB investigators said the serial numbers on the flap identified it as coming from a Boeing 777. Further investigation traced manufacturers’ date stamps, confirming the flap came from the Boeing plane that would become MH370, according to Reuters.
“Based on the above information, the part was confirmed as originating from the aircraft registered as 9M-MRO and operating as MH370,” the report said.
Authorities will continue to examine the flap, along with another piece of debris discovered last year, to see if they hold any evidence as to how the plane crashed.
While several other pieces of debris believed to have been from the ill-fated flight have been discovered, they have not been officially confirmed as coming from MH370, Reuters reported.
