Malaysian experts check Maldives debris for MH370 clues

Three Malaysian aviation experts have begun examining debris found in the Maldives to determine if it could be wreckage from flight MH370, a minister says.

The Maldives joined a regional search for wreckage from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight after islanders spotted unidentified debris washed up along the northern atolls of the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Mohamed Shareef said the three, led by director-general of civil aviation Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, met with local authorities and inspected the debris after arriving on the honeymoons islands on Tuesday night.

"They have today officially started investigating the debris found in the Maldives," Shareef, a minister attached to the president's office, told AFP by telephone from the capital island Male.

He said the experts will return to Malaysia later on Wednesday before reporting to Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai.

The plane was carrying 239 passengers and crew when it disappeared on March 8, 2014 after inexplicably veering off course. It is believed to have gone down in the southern Indian Ocean region.

The search acquired fresh impetus when Malaysia last week said a wing part that washed ashore on the French island of Reunion came from the aircraft.

After that discovery, the Malaysian authorities alerted nearby Madagascar and South Africa to be on the lookout, saying it was possible debris would wash up in those locations.

Mauritius has also joined the search.

Reunion is about 3200 kilometres southwest of the Maldives, and local media said some of the large objects washed up on the islands appeared to be debris from a barge that capsized in February.