MH370: Mozambique debris 'matches theories about plane wreckage'

The Boeing 777 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people on board

The debris found in Mozambique (Reuters)

In a small step which could go towards solving the mystery of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, officials have said that debris found on the shore of Mozambique matches theories about where the wreckage from the plane would have ended up.

The debris discovered in the African nation is believed to be from the Boeing 777, however it has not yet been confirmed.

Flight 370, which had 239 people on board and was travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, disappeared in March 2014. It is thought that the aircraft crashed somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean – around 6,000km to the east of Mozambique.

Authorities have predicted that plane debris would eventually be carried by currents to the east coast of Africa.

Photos of the debris, found on the weekend by American man Blaine Gibson, show a piece of white metal. According to a US official, it could be the fixed leading edge of the white right-hand tail section of the Boeing.

Darren Chester, the Australian Transport Minister, said the location of the debris in Mozambique was "consistent with a drift modelling commissioned by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau", confirming that search crews were looking in the correct part of the Indian Ocean for the plane's wreckage.

"It is too early to speculate on the origin of the debris at this stage," he added.

Liow Tiong, the Malaysian Transport Minister, also said the location of the debris was in line with predictions made by investigators.

"From the pictures, it's high probability that the plane debris is from Boeing 777," said Mr Tiong, adding that representatives from Malaysia's Civil Aviation department and Malaysia Airlines would go to Mozambique to discuss the find.

The part is expected to be transported to Australia for examination, said the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

"We're aware of these reports that debris has been found in Mozambique," said Dan O'Malley, a spokesman for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. "We're working with officials in Mozambique and Malaysia to investigate."

He added that they would wait to analyse the debris before drawing any conclusions.

The find in Mozambique comes after a piece of the plane's wing washed up on the French island of Reunion in July 2015.

Additional reporting by agencies