MH370 - what's been found, aircraft recap

MH370 SUSPECTED PLANE PART - WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR:

What was found:

* composite metal object, believed to be from an aircraft, covered in shells

* measures 2m long, 1m wide, takes 4-5 people to carry

* appears to be part of rear of an aircraft wing

* could be a "flapper", used as aircraft lands or takes off

Where was it found:

* Discovered by locals on a beach on the Island of La Reunion, French Indian Ocean, about 6000km from current search area

* Find is consistent with the path debris was predicted to flow, away from search zone

* If confirmed, would also be consistent with theory MH370 crashed within 120,000sq km search area 1800km southwest of Perth

What happens next:

* Malaysia has sent team to Reunion to examine the debris

* Authorities, including those in Australia, working with manufacturer Boeing to try to identify it

* They are looking for a part number or a serial number; there appears to be an unidentified number - BB670

* This would help confirm type of plane, owner of plane (MH370 was a Boeing 777)

* Expected to take several days to identify and/or confirm if it's from MH370 or not

MH370 - Recap:

* Disappeared on the night of March 8, 2014

* Had been heading from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing

* Last contact made as it was travelling over the South China Sea

* Minutes later it veered off its route over waters near Malaysia

* 237 passengers and 12 Malaysian crew on board

* Most where Chinese, also 6 Australian travellers

* There are many theories about what happened

* They include the pilot going rogue, a hypoxia event, and even accusations Russia commandeered the plane to Kazakhstan

* It remains one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries

Search so far:

* Australia has led the operation to find MH370 since March 17, 2014

* Some 50,000sq km of sea floor in the southern Indian Ocean has been scanned

* Nothing has been found so far

* About 40pct of the overall search area still to be examined