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Premature to speculate on debris found in Maldives: Malaysian minister

Xinhua, August 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said Monday that it is premature now to speculate on whether the debris found in Maldives is related to the missing Malaysian Airlines flight of MH370.

According to the local media, a piece of object, probably a plane part which is 5 to 7 inches long, was discovered on the beach of a private resort in Maldives in May.

The Maldivian police have launched investigations into the debris to determine if it had any connection to MH370.

Liow said Malaysia has been officially notified by the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority pertaining to debris that has been found.

However, "at this juncture, no verification of the debris has taken place," he said, adding that the Malaysian side will send a team to view the debris and conduct preliminary verification of the debris.

"Once it is determined to be aircraft debris, discussions will held to determine next steps in terms of the process of analysis," Liow said.

The minister called on the public not to speculate on the new finding and extended appreciation to the support given by the Maldivian authorities. Endi