|
|
Malaysian MH370 plane debris sent to French lab | | One year on, the whereabouts of the Malaysian MH370 plane is still
unknown. What has been found on Reunion beach last week, experts say, is a
two-metre long piece called flaperon of a wing. They say the honeycomb material
could move any direction easily in the drift of ocean currents and waves, which
are usually from east to west in the region. |
KUALA LUMPUR: A large piece of debris looking like part of a flaperon of a wing that is believed to be of the MH370 plane that was lost in flight from Malaysia last year found on the island of Reunion on Wednesday last has been brought over to France for
examination. Stuffed with honeycomb, a flaperon is lightweight but large
aluminium part.
Reunion, a French island, administratively called French Department of Reunion,
is the outer-most overseas region of France, and lies about 200 km southwest of
Mauritius, the nearest island, and 650 km east of Madagascar, close to south-eastern Africa, in the remote south-west Indian Ocean. This area now under the
scan for the plane debris is opposite to the MH370 flight route of Kuala
Lumpur-Hong Kong.
A defence ministry laboratory in Toulouse is studying the piece to find out if it is
really a part of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 that was travelling from Kuala
Lumpur to Beijing carrying 239 passengers and crew on board and disappeared,
on March 8 2014.
Experts said the two-metre object found on a beach could be a piece of the
Boeing wing called a flaperon. (What is a FLAPERON?) It
is made of lightweight aluminium and internally filled with honeycomb so that it
is light and serves the purpose of floating. It reduces the weight of an aircraft. It
tilts while landing or takeoff to control the speed of the aircraft. It is a
combination of flap and aileron, functionally, in some planes. (SEE a demo on Facebook)
A piece of a suitcase had also been found on the beach earlier. Pings from the
plane were also reportedly picked up by satellite earlier.
The Malaysian authorities had early this year declared all passengers and crew
on board as dead. Malaysia and Australia have repeatedly claimed that the plane
veered off course and crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, off Madagascar, off
Reunion. The plane had disappeared from radar somewhere between Kuala
Lumpur and Beijing.
However, the search for the missing plane has continued all along in the Indian
Ocean ever since by Australian and other teams.
"Depending on where exactly MH370 went down, it is conceivable that debris
would be set adrift in this current, which flows from east to west, and eventually
make its way to Reunion Island, which is located right at the western fringe of
the current," AccuWeather Meteorologist Anthony Sagliani said. (SEE: Complex Ocean Currents Carry
Potential Debris From Missing MH370 Flight to Reunion Island)
August 2, 2015 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
All About Malaysia & Destinations
|
|
Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Gujarat
Puducherry
Govt Tourist Offices within India and Abroad |
|
Neighbours
Calling
|
|
From the Web
|
| Panda cub can be viewed by public at Malaysian zoo next month |  KUALA LUMPUR: The public can view the female panda cub born to giant pandas Xing Xing and Liang Liang in a few weeks. Preparations are being made by the
zoo, according to National Zoo deputy president Rosli Ahmat Lana. "Liang Liang
(mother panda) is now able to let go of her baby for an hour a day in the isolation
room. It will be increased to a minimum of two hours daily to prepare the cub for
public viewing," he told Bernama. The cub is now two months old and healthy,
weighing 5 kg. The baby panda was born on Aug 18 at the Giant Panda
Conservation Centre (GPCC) at the National Zoo. | | Thousands join Islamic new year celebration in Kuala Lumpur |  KUALA
LUMPUR: Over 50,000 people attended the national level Maal Hijrah procession in the
city n Wednesday to mark the start of the new year in the Islamic calendar.
Participants were clad in traditional baju melayu and baju kurung. They gathered at
various places like Dataran Merdeka, Padang Merbok, Muzium Negara, Masjid Jamek,
Islamic Art Museum and Masjid Wilayah and proceeded to Masjid Negara in
processions. Government departments, private sector, non-governmental
organisations and the public took part in the procession. | | Storm, rough sea warning to revellers, tourists on Sabah coasts |  KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Meterological Department (MetMalaysia) on
Wednesday issued a first-category warning of strong winds and rough seas over the
waters of Sabah (Sandakan, Kudat, West Coast and Interior) and Labuan starting from
Oct 16 to 20. A met statement said that strong south-westerly winds could reach up
to 40 kmph to 50 kmph with waves rising as high as 3.5 metres. It warned, "These
conditions are dangerous to small craft, recreational sea activities and sea sports."
The same situation is also expected to occur over the waters off Condore, Reef North,
Layang-layang and Sulu, it added. | |
|
|
|
