MH370 Investigators to Meet in France ahead of Debris Analysis

It comes after a fevered hunt for more possible wreckage on Reunion Island turned up no new clues on Sunday, with authorities saying metallic debris found by locals did not come from an aircraft.

A Malaysian delegation headed by the director-general of civil aviation, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, and representatives from Malaysia Airlines and judicial officials will meet on Monday with the three French magistrates assigned to the case, AFP reported on Monday.

Investigators from the research section of France's Air Transport Gendarmerie and representatives of the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA) will also be present to take stock of findings and co-ordinate the broader investigation.

The wing part, a flaperon, is being examined in a military laboratory in the city of Toulouse that specialises in plane crash investigations, with results expected from Wednesday afternoon.

The examination should determine if it is a piece of the Boeing 777 which disappeared mysteriously on March 8, 2014 with 239 people on board.

Malaysian officials have confirmed it is part of a Boeing 777, making it virtually certain to be part of the missing plane as MH370 is the only Boeing 777 to be lost at sea.

US aircraft manufacturer Boeing will also dispatch a 'technical' team to participate in the investigations in Toulouse.

The flaperon will be analysed using physical and chemical methods, including 'a scanning electron microscope that can magnify up to 100,000 times' to understand how it was damaged, said Pierre Bascary, former director of the tests at France's General Directorate for Armament.

But beyond the flight identification, analyses are unlikely to draw the story of the disaster, experts say.

'We should not expect miracles from this analysis,' said former BEA director Jean-Paul Troadec.

Meanwhile, locals on La Reunion island have been combing the shores since the wing part was found last Wednesday, handing over bits of what they believe to be wreckage to police.

'There is a sort of 'treasure hunt' mentality that is taking hold and people are calling us for everything,' said a local source close to the investigation.

On Sunday, several pieces of debris sparked excitement, one of which was believed by locals to be from a plane door.

However, investigators quickly shot down hopes.

Malaysia's Azharuddin said from France the item resembling a plane door 'was actually from a domestic ladder. It is not a door.'

Police on the Indian Ocean island also collected on Sunday a mangled piece of metal inscribed with two Chinese characters and attached to what appears to be a leather-covered handle.

Chinese internet users suggested it may be a kettle.

Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said civil aviation authorities were reaching out to their counterparts in other Indian Ocean territories to be on the lookout for further debris that could provide 'more clues to the missing aircraft'.

He also confirmed that the wing part had been 'officially identified' as from a Boeing 777.

Authorities have warned that even if the debris is confirmed to come from MH370, the mystery of what happened to the plane and where exactly it went down are still likely to persist unless the black box is found.

Australian search authorities leading the hunt for the aircraft about 4000 kilometres from Reunion are confident the main debris field is in the current search area.