Search operations for MH370 continue in waters off Mauritius

Mauritian Deputy Prime Minister Xavier-Luc Duval receives an interview with Xinhua News Agency in Port Louis, capital of Mauritius, Aug. 10, 2015. The Indian Ocean nation of Mauritius, which is located 190 kilometers northeast of La Reunion, pledged to continue search operations for the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 in its waters, Deputy Prime Minister Xavier-Luc Duval told Xinhua Monday. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei)

PORT LOUIS, Aug. 11 -- Mauritius will continue with the search of any remaining debris of Malaysia Airline's MH370 plane that disappeared on March 8, 2014, Deputy Prime Minister Xavier Luc Duval told Xinhua on Monday.

Duval said Mauritius police had discovered a piece of a bag on Gabriel island over the weekend.

"The piece was taken to a Mauritius laboratory for analysis to determine whether or not it belonged to someone who was on board flight MH370," he said, admitting that "at the moment, there is a slim possibility for that."

"In case the laboratory analysis do not determine whether bag came from flight MH370, it will be sent to a foreign country for further analysis," he said.

"We are in contact with the Malaysian government concerning our search," Duval said.

"Mauritius reacted immediately after the Malaysian government made a public appeal to Indian Ocean islands to participate in the search," the Mauritius deputy prime minister recalled.

"It is because of close ties between Mauritius and Malaysia and the strong friendship with China for many years that Mauritius responded without any delay to Malaysia's call by mobilizing all its aerial and maritime resources," Duval said.

On August 3, Mauritius launched search operations in the sea by mobilizing Maritime Air Squadron, the National Coast Guard and the port authorities to conduct aerial, maritime and land search.

On July 29, a piece of aeroplane wing was discovered on the Reunion coast and was sent to France for further analysis.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak officially announced on Aug.6 that a group of experts had concluded that the debris found on the Reunion Island was from MH370.

Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 after its departure from Kuala Lumpur with 239 passengers on board, among them 154 Chinese nationals.