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French officials have authorized a new, week-long search in and around its territory on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean to try to find any more aircraft debris.
The decision comes a little more than a week after part of a wing believed to be from missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 was found on the island.
But the decision also comes at a time when the French and Malaysians seem to be at odds over the proof that the found piece, a flaperon, was definitely from MH370.
Malaysia announced Wednesday that the debris was "conclusively" from MH370. Prosecutors in France, where the debris was flown for examination, declined to be so sure, saying it was likely from the doomed flight but noting, "What we can say today there is very strong presumption, very strong likeness, that the flaperon we found should belong to MH370. There are two reasons behind that. The flaperon does belong to the Boeing 777 and there are technical reasons for that. The representatives of the Malaysia Airlines company confirmed certain technical aspects and they were able to confirm the debris with the flight based on technical characteristics."
Perhaps that is why France will spend the time and money to conduct a search for the plane, which disappeared from radar on March 8, 2014 and mysteriously vanished.
According to the Associated Press, a helicopter and water vehicles will search an area 75 miles by 25 miles around the east coast of the island, where the flaperon piece was found.
Malaysia's transport minister said Thursday that more debris had been found by his team on the ground at Reunion Island, including an airplane window and some aluminium foil. But, again, the French have declined to say whether they believe it came from MH370, or a plane at all. Last week, a piece of debris was found that was believed to be from a plane but turned out to be a simple house ladder.
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