Malaysian officials have confirmed that the debris found on Indian Ocean island of Reunion was from the missing flight MH370.
French investigators, however, would only go as far to say there exists a ‘very high probability’ that the flaperon belongs to the Malaysia Airlines plane.
Exercising legal caution, French prosecutor Serge Mackowiak said confirmation would only come after further tests.
Australian PM Tony Abbott said the ‘baffling mystery’ of the flight, which disappeared on March 8 2014 with 239 people on board, was closer to being solved.
Australia-led search teams say they are confident they are looking in the right area, in the southern Indian Ocean and that search will continue.
The mixed messages have caused a combination of frustration and anger among relatives still searching for answers.
They questioned how public announcements from Malaysia and France could not be coordinated.
"France is being cautious about it, but Malaysia is desperate to put an end to this case and run away from all responsibilities," said Dai Shuqin, the sister of one MH370 passenger demonstrating outside the Beijing office of Malaysia Airlines.
