Malaysian MH370 - Another suspected part found - Curt Lewis

Suspected aircraft engine cover found in South Africa

MH370 Another debris suspected to be an aircraft component has been found in South Africa today, according to Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai.

In a statement, the minister said the debris was found in Mosselbay, but additional examination and analysis is required to determine whether it belongs to the missing Malaysian airlines flight MH370.

"The Transport Ministry and the Department of Civil Aviation are in close contact with the South African Civil Aviation Authority on this matter.

"A team will be dispatched to retrieve the debris," he said today.

Liow said that based on initial reports, the debris may have come from an inlet cowling of an aircraft engine.

An inlet cowling is a ring-shaped cover that sits around the front section of an aircraft engine, and serves to protect the engine components inside.

A search for the missing Boeing 777-200ER aircraft is still ongoing in the South Indian Ocean. It was last seen on March 8, 2014 with 239 persons on board on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Since then, numerous sightings of debris thought to be from MH370 has been reported.

However, only one of these have been confirmed to have originated from MH370 - a flaperon recovered from Reunion Island off the coast of Madagascar, on July 2015.

A flaperon is a control surface on the aircraft's main wing. It helps the aircraft roll left and right, as well as increases lift during low-speed flight such as take-off and landing.