MH370: Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has 'mixed feelings'

Malaysia's prime minister Najib Razak (right) and Mr Hishammuddin Hussein (centre) during a news conference about the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on July 18, 2014. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has "mixed feelings" following confirmation that a flaperon washed on Reunion Island was from MH370.

He also expressed his condolences and assured the public that the search for MH370 would continue.

"My heart and prayers go out to the families n loved ones.

"Syukur - harap (I hope) some small closure for all," he tweeted and said a prayer that family members would be strong in receiving the news.

Early on Thursday, Prime Minister Najib Razak confirmed that the debris found on Reunion Island a week ago was from flight MH370.

"We now have physical evidence that, as I announced on 24th March last year, flight MH370 tragically ended in the southern Indian Ocean," he said.

French prosecutors used more cautious language, saying only there was a "very high probability" the wreckage came from MH370.

Datuk Seri Hishammuddin was acting transport minister during MH370's disappearance.

The Boeing 777 with 239 people on board disappeared from radar during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

Last week's discovery of a 2m-long wing part called a flaperon on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion has provided the first glimmer of hope for relatives desperate for answers.

It was examined at a military lab outside the French city of Toulouse in the presence of Malaysian and Australian experts, Boeing employees and representatives from China - the country that lost the most passengers in the disaster.

Malaysia Airlines hailed the news as a "major breakthrough".

"We expect and hope that there would be more objects to be found which would be able to help resolve this mystery," said the airline in a statement.

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