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The latest debris was found by adventurer Blaine Gibson on a
beach in Madagascar Blaine Alan Gibson
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The man who spotted debris washed up on a beach in
Madagascar which could be from missing flight MH370 has said he is “overwhelmed
with emotion” by the discovery.
Blaine Alan Gibson, who in February found a part from
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in Mozambique, came across a number of new
fragments while combing a beach in north east Madagascar.
The pieces will be examined by investigators to see if they
also came from the missing plane, officials said on Friday.
Mr Gibson is an American adventurer who has taken it upon
himself to look for Flight 370 for more than a year.
His independent search has taken him to Thailand, Australia,
Mauritius, Mozambique, and now Madagascar among other places.
“I was riding on a quad, as there was 18km to cover, and out
of the corner of my eye, I spotted a light-grey, whitish thing that looked a
little big,” he told The Independent.
“As soon as I took a closer look, I immediately thought of
the panel I'd found in Mozambique. It was the same grey colour, it had the same
holes in it. When I picked it up, it felt heavier, but the back looked similar.
“I was sure it was part of the plane. I just thought 'oh my
god, it's happened again'”
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| Students at Hailiang International School light candles for the passengers on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 |
Experts determined the debris Mr Gibson previously found off
the coast of Mozambique was from the missing Boeing 777 which vanished more
than two years ago with 239 people on board.
Malaysian authorities, who are leading the investigation
into the plane's disappearance, have procedures in place to examine any
suspected debris, though Australia will help analyse Mr Gibson's discovery if
asked, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
Mr Gibson said the piece which touched him the most was the
fragment which resembles a screen monitor case from the back of a seat.
“It had coat hook, like in economy class,” he said. “That
one really touched me.”
“The panel and first piece I found are just parts of a
plane. But this is something from the cabin, that you see when you're sitting
there.
“I felt overwhelmed with emotion thinking if this is from
MH370, this could have been one of the last things the passenger saw.”
In a separate development, a man found a piece of debris on
an island off southern Australia that the transport bureau will examine, said
ATSB spokesperson.
That piece was found on Kangaroo Island, just off the coast
of South Australia state. The part shows it bears the words “No step” — a
phrase that also appeared on the part that Mr Gibson found in Mozambique in
February.
Mr Gibson said his beachcombing method was to “study the
currents and drift, I talk to oceanographers and when I get to a place, I talk
to local boatmen and fishermen, or divers, and ask where ocean debris normally
washes ashore.”
“I have always loved to travel and solve mysteries,” he
said. “I got interested in Malaysia MH370 when the story broke while I was
selling my family home,
“After a year of not
finding any piece, I decided to go looking myself.”
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French police officers carry a piece of debris from a plane
in Saint-Andre, Reunion Island.
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He funds his travels through savings from the sale of his
home and said he is “not an expensive traveller”.
“I don't really have family, but my friends think it's great
I'm doing it and it's had some success. They probably think I'm spending a
little too much time on it, but they know I love travelling and I'm very
interested and care about this, and I'm making a difference.
“The main support has been from the family members who are
very happy, even though I've been bringing them bad news, they want the truth,
whatever it is.”
Several pieces of the plane have washed up over the past
year on coastlines around the Indian Ocean. But officials have had no luck
finding the main underwater wreckage despite an extensive search of a vast area
of the Indian Ocean off Australia's west coast.
Crews are expected to complete their sweep of the 120,000
square kilometres (46,000 square miles) area by August, and there are no plans
to extend the hunt beyond that.
-The Independent-
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