SAINT-DENIS DE LA REUNION — France launched a hunt for more wreckage from the ill-fated MH370 plane off Reunion island on Friday in a fresh effort to shed light on one of aviation’s biggest mysteries.



The tiny French Indian Ocean territory has been under intense scrutiny since a beach cleaner found a washed-up wing part last week, which Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak later declared was part of the Boeing 777 that mysteriously vanished 17 months ago.



The flaperon is currently being examined by experts in France for clues as to the last moments of the Malaysia Airlines aircraft that inexplicably veered off course en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, and there are hopes that Reunion may yield more debris.



In nearby Mauritius, authorities are also searching for any possible plane parts that may have landed on their shores. Since the discovery of the two-meter-long flaperon last week, people on the island have come forward with countless objects they think may look like plane parts.



Australian authorities, which are leading the search, expressed renewed confidence that they were looking in the right area. — AFP