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August 10, 2015

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Reunion hunt for wreckage from MH370 resumes

Source: AP | August 10, 2015, Monday | Print Edition

THE hunt for more wreckage from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 resumed on France’s Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean yesterday after being suspended due to bad weather, local officials said.

A search plane circled overhead and foot patrols combed the eastern coastline of the island, resuming a hunt that had been halted on Friday evening.

Although the sun was shining again yesterday, the local government office said navy vessels would only be mobilized if debris was spotted at sea.

Rough weather forced a search ship to turn back last Friday, leaving the plane alone to scan a giant area of ocean and coastline measuring an estimated 5,300 square kilometers.

A wing part found on the island in late July has been confirmed by Malaysia’s prime minister to be part of the Boeing 777 which went missing on March 8 last year en route to Beijing with 239 people onboard.

The hunt continued to attract amateur investigators to the beaches and coastline of the island yesterday.

“Maybe it’s a step,” said one local, brandishing an aluminum bar, while another said he was looking for “souvenirs.”

“There’s a sort of treasure hunt mentality that is spreading, and which we want to remind everyone often leads nowhere,” said a source close to the investigation.

Even the Malaysian authorities appeared to be mistaken last week when they announced that a seat and window from the doomed flight had been discovered. French investigators say no new items have been found.

Saint-Andre, the town of 50,000 where the wing part washed up, has had a surreal fortnight as the world’s media has suddenly descended in droves.

A special mass was held in the town last week for the victims of the flight MH370, most of them Chinese, and the local mayor said they were ready to welcome their families if they wished to come to Reunion. A monument to those on the plane is also planned.

Island authorities are using a small military transport plane for the search, and also have three police and navy helicopters and three boats at their disposal.

In nearby Mauritius, authorities are also searching for any possible plane parts.

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