6m ago 08:23
Julien Delarue, a journalist with Journal de L’île de la Réunion, sends this update from the island:
A mechanic from the Réunion-based airline Air Austral told local journalists he had studied the debris with French military officials and concluded with 99.9% certainty that it originated from a Boeing 777.
He said the debris was stamped with 657-BB, a number that could be used to identify a part and the plane to which it belonged.
(This number is different to that cited by Australia’s deputy PM just now; he mentioned BB670. Once we have clarity on that, I’ll update.)
10m ago 08:18
A number stamped on the aircraft debris could be the key to a quick identification of its origin.
Warren Truss, Australia’s deputy prime minister, said the number was not a serial number but could be some sort of maintenance number that could help with identification.
Truss said the number was BB670.
This kind of work is obviously going to take some time although the number may help to identify the aircraft parts – assuming that’s what they are – much more quickly than might otherwise be the case.