KUALA LUMPUR: France said it would launch new air, land and sea searches from Reunion on Friday in hopes of finding more wreckage from MH370, after Malaysia said a wing part found on the island came from the ill-fated flight.
The find is the first physical clue to solving one of the biggest mysteries in aviation history, 17 months after the aircraft inexplicably veered off course en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
A military plane will begin surveying the area of the Indian Ocean from Friday morning, the French government said in a statement. The search will also be stepped up with foot patrols, helicopters and maritime units, it added.
"Any discovery will be immediately made available to the investigation," said the joint statement by the French ministers of defence, transport and overseas territories.
Separately, local authorities where the first piece of debris was found said they would organise a thorough search starting Monday.
The re-energised hunt for MH370 clues follows Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's announcement that a two-metre-long (almost seven-foot) wing part discovered on the French island last week was confirmed as from the missing aircraft, the first proof that it met a tragic end 17 months ago.
"It is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you that an international team of experts has conclusively confirmed that the aircraft debris found on Reunion island is indeed from MH370," Najib said Thursday.
The announcement was not universally welcomed by relatives of the 239 people on board the Malaysia Airlines jet, with some expressing scepticism and fresh criticism of officials' handling of the disaster.
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