Malaysian Prime Minister: Debris is from MH370

The piece of a plane wing that washed up on an island in the Indian Ocean, he announced, was indeed part of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. "It is my hope that this confirmation, however tragic and painful," Prime Minister Najib Razak said, "will at least bring certainty to the families and loved ones of the 239 people on board MH370." But a top French prosecutor was slightly less definite when he stepped up to a podium in his country an hour later. There are "very strong presumptions" that the part belongs to the missing Boeing 777, Paris Deputy Prosecutor Serge Mackowiak said, adding that more testing will be done to prove it conclusively. France, which already had opened a criminal investigation into the plane's disappearance, has been drawn deeper into the matter after the plane part's discovery last month on Reunion island, a remote part of its overseas territory. Investigators at a specialized laboratory in Toulouse are examining it. Even with tests ongoing, analysts said the Malaysian government's highly anticipated announcement marks a key step in the investigation into what happened to the plane. But several passengers' family members said they weren't sure what to believe after hearing both officials speak. "I was left somewhat confused and, frankly, a little angry and dismayed," said K.S. Narendran,whose wife was one of the passengers. Authorities announced their conclusions, Narendran said, without detailing their findings. "I didn't hear facts. I didn't hear the basics. I heard nothing," he said, "and so it leaves me wondering whether there is a foregone conclusion and everyone is racing for the finish." Investigators analyze debris When the debris -- a part of a wing known as a flaperon -- washed up July 29 on Reunion island, its discovery was considered possibly the first physical evidence that might help shed light on a mystery that has vexed even the most seasoned aviation experts: How could a commercial airplane just vanish? On Wednesday, investigators met at a specialized laboratory near Toulouse to begin examining the part. Their work took hours, and Najib made the announcement very early Thursday, Kuala Lumpur time, 515 days since the flight bound for Beijing from the Malaysian capital disappeared with 239 people aboard. Najib said the found flaperon matches a Boeing 777, and the characteristics of the flaperon match the technical specifications provided by Malaysia Airlines for that part of the missing aircraft, CNN reports. See www.cnn.com for full version.