2nd LD writethru: Debris found on Reunion Island comes from MH370: Malaysian PM

Verification had confirmed that the debris discovered on Reunion Island belongs to missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced here early on Thursday. "Today, 515 days since the plane disappeared, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that an international team of experts have conclusively confirmed that the aircraft debris found on Reunion Island is indeed from MH370," the prime minister said. "We now have physical evidence that, as I announced on March 24 last year, flight MH370 tragically ended in the southern Indian Ocean," Najib said.

"This is indeed a major breakthrough for us in resolving the disappearance of MH370. We expect and hope that there would be more objects to be found which would be able to help resolve this mystery."

The airline will update families and cooperate with authorities, he added.

The debris was transferred to Toulouse in France for the examination which was witnessed by Malaysian officials.

Prior to the latest discovery, a massive surface and underwater hunt failed to find the plane in what has become one of the biggest mysteries in the aviation history.

The plane went missing on March 8, 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 on board, most of them Chinese. Endi