United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Experts say debris found off Thailand coast unlikely to be MH370
Saturday, 25 Jan, 2016
0
A day after the discovery of suspected plane wreckage off the coast of southern Thailand officials said it is increasingly unlikely to be part of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 which vanished nearly two years ago.
A large piece of debris washed ashore at the weekend in Nakhon Si Thammarat province and was handed over to authorities for identification by local villagers.
"Villagers found the wreckage, measuring about two meters wide and three meters long," said district head Tanyapat Patthikongpan.
The news caused speculation in the Thai media but the MH370 link has been played down.
"Personally, I don’t think it’s MH370," said Thai government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd.
Local officials said judging by its condition, the wreckage could have been under the sea for no more than one year.
"It would appear to be inconsistent with the drift models that appeared when MH370’s flaperon was discovered on Reunion Island last July," added Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor at Flightglobal.
"The markings, engineering, and tooling apparent in this debris strongly suggest that it is aerospace related. It will need to be carefully examined, however, to determine its exact origin."
Officials from Thailand’s Department of Civil Aviation are being dispatched to the scene and the debris will be airlifted to Bangkok for further investigation.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Walt Leger on New Orleans’ Resilience and Major Events Ahead
Cindy Mackin Shares Estes Park’s Winter Thrills
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel
Report: Cruise guest died after ship lashed in heavy storm
British teen in serious condition after paraglider collision