More Debris To Be Examined For MH370 Link

Suspected plane debris found on the coast of a Mauritian island will be examined to see if it belongs to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

A hotel owner on the island said the wreckage was found by guests on Rodrigues Island, which lies about 350 miles east of Mauritius.

William Auguste, who owns the Mourouk Ebony Hotel, said: "For sure, it looked like part of an aeroplane - it looks like it's from the inside part of it."

He added: "I don't know how to say it but there was wallpaper inside of the plane, you can see this design and part of it is still there."

If confirmed, it would be the first piece of debris found from the inside of the plane.

Australian transport minister Darren Chester described the debris, found last week, as "an item of interest".

In a statement, he said: "The Malaysian government is working with officials from Mauritius to seek to take custody of the debris and arrange for its examination.

"Until the debris has been examined by experts, it is not possible to ascertain its origin."

He did not say what the part looked like or where it would be examined. 

Australian experts have already concluded that debris found in Mozambique last month was "almost certainly from MH370", while French authorities said a wing part found last July on the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion was also part of the plane.

Last month, archaeologist Neels Kruger discovered a chunk of debris stamped with part of engine-maker Rolls-Royce's logo on the South African coast.

More than 95,000 sq km (59,000 sq miles) of a 120,000 sq km (74,500 sq mile) zone has been searched, with search leaders from Australia saying that the entire zone will be covered by June.

MH370 went missing on 8 March, 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. There were 239 passengers and crew aboard, most of them from China.

Aviation experts believe MH370 veered sharply off course to the far-southern Indian Ocean before crashing into the sea.

The search for the plane is due to finish in June but a group of relatives of those on board have started a petition calling for it to be extended.