“The Australian Government is aware that wreckage, which appears to be from an aircraft, has been found on La Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, near Madagascar,” it said in a statement.
Australia said Malaysia is responsible for the investigation and is managing this examination with the assistance of Boeing, the BEA (Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile), the National Transportation Safety Bureau (US) and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
“In the event that the wreckage is identified as being from MH370 on La Reunion Island, it would be consistent with other analysis and modelling that the resting place of the aircraft is in the southern Indian Ocean,” it said.
Australia said any new evidence will be used to further inform and refine ongoing search efforts.
A mysterious piece of plane debris washed up on the French Indian Ocean island Wednesday, prompting some speculation it could be part of the missing MH370.
The two-metre-long piece of wreckage, which seemed to be part of a wing, was found by people cleaning up a beach.
French air transport officials have already opened a probe to investigate where the wreckage could have come from.
PHOTO GALLERY: Could this be MH370?
Meanwhile, MAS in a statement said it is too early to speculate whether the plane debris could be part of MH370.
MAS said it is now working with the relevant authorities to confirm the matter.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said Malaysia has sent a team to verify whether plane debris washed up on an Indian Ocean island could be part of MH370.
"Whatever wreckage found needs to be further verified before we can further confirm whether it belongs to MH370," Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai told reporters in New York.
The MAS Boeing 777 travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board vanished on March 8, 2014.
