Interview: Possible MH370 debris to be further investigated in Australia: gov't

The Australian government has on Thursday confirmed a piece of debris - possibly from missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 - is on its way to Australia for further examination.

A spokesperson from the government's Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) told Xinhua on Thursday the piece of debris - found by a blogger in the African nation of Mozambique over the weekend - would be making its way to Australia so that investigators can take a closer look.

"The governments of Australia, Malaysia and Mozambique are working together to arrange for the debris to be brought to Australia for examination and analysis by investigators and specialists from around the world," the spokesperson said.

The news follows an announcement from Malaysia's Transport Minister, who said there was a "high possibility" the piece was from a Boeing 777 jet - the same type which flew flight 370.

The debris is believed to be a horizontal stabilizer, and was found by an American visitor named Blaine Gibson, who has been tracking possible landing sites of MH370 debris as part of his own investigation.

Despite there not being a "specific date of arrival" for the piece of debris, the spokesperson told Xinhua that representatives from Malaysia as well as Boeing would also by flying to Australia to assist with the investigation.

"The team, including investigators from Malaysia and experts from the manufacturer, will examine the characteristics of the debris to confirm that it comes from the correct type of aircraft," he said.

"They would also look for any identifying marks, such as serial numbers, that could identify it as coming from MH370."

The alleged stabilizer does have markings on it that show it has come from an aircraft, with the words "NO STEP" - often seen on aircraft - visible on the scrap piece.

However aviation specialists from the Independent Group (IG) doubt the piece is from a Boeing 777.

"The found item is an aluminum honeycomb panel and, as such, is not a construction that is consistent with composite components employed on a Boeing 777," one IG member, Don Thompson, posted to social media website Reddit.

"Neither did it look like it had been in the ocean for 2 years, (or look like it had been) lying on a sandbar where allegedly found as there was no sign of sand filling the honeycomb structure."

The ATSB said despite the criticism, the debris washed up on a location which was "consistent with drift patterns modeled by Australian scientists, and would be examined closely to determine its origin."

"Until the debris has been examined, we cannot provide any statements on its nature," the spokesperson told Xinhua.

"The location at which it was reported found, however, is consistent with the drift modelling undertaken by the CSIRO."

The discovery of the piece follows news from last year of a flaperon washing up on La Reunion island in the Indian Ocean. It was later confirmed to be from MH370.

MH370 was a scheduled flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing which went missing on March 8, 2014. It was carrying 239 passengers and crew, including 154 passengers from China. Endit