PARIS, France (REUTERS) - French authorities said on Thursday that plane debris found washed up on Reunion island might come from a Boeing 777 but they could not confirm it was from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared in March last year.

Earlier on Thursday, a Malaysian official said it was almost certain the debris was from the ill-fated airplane. Malaysia Airlines was operating a Boeing 777 on Flight MH370. It vanished without a trace in March last year en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in one of the most baffling mysteries in aviation history. The plane was carrying 239 passengers and crew.

"Plane debris was found yesterday morning on the coast of Saint Andre in La Reunion. At this stage, the origin of the debris has not been identified. No hypothesis can be ruled out, including that it would come from a Boeing 777," the Reunion prefecture and the French Justice Ministry said in a statement.