French authorities have confirmed debris found on Reunion Island is that of missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. The debris of the wing from the Boeing 777 was found washed up on the shores of the island in the Indian Ocean in July.

Investigators in France began to examine the flaperon on 5 August to try and determine whether it did actually belong to the missing plane, which disappeared with 239 people on board in March 2014 as it travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

"It is possible today to say with certainty that the flaperon discovered on Reunion island on July 29 came from flight MH370," Paris prosecutors said in a statement. They added technical analysis of the wing enabled investigators to link a serial number found on the part with a corresponding number on MH370.

The confirmation follows on from a previous statement given by Malaysia prime minister Najib Razak in August who said with a "very heavy heart" that an international team of experts has "conclusively" said that the aircraft debris found on Reunion Island was from MH370.