Saint-Denis, Reunion Island: Debris believed to be from a Boeing 777 -- and possibly missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 -- is headed to France, where investigators hope sophisticated technology will help unravel a mystery nearly a year and a half in the making.
The debris -- which investigators seem increasingly confident came from a Boeing 777 -- was discovered this week on the remote Indian Ocean island of Reunion.
Work to conclusively identify the debris will begin midweek, French prosecutors say, but not before a French investigative judge meets with French and Malaysian air transport investigators and Malaysian judicial authorities.
Boeing said it is sending experts to France. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board also will travel to take part in the probe, a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.
A preliminary report could come as early as next week, a source close to the French investigation told CNN. The report won't give "an exact sequence of events," the source said, but will at least eliminate some scenarios.
Meanwhile, anguished friends and relative of MH370 passengers, who had clung to the thin hope that perhaps their loved ones would some day be found alive, are coming to grips with the growing realization that's not likely to happen.
01/08/15 Michael Pearson, Jethro Mullen and Nima Elbagir/CNN
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
The debris -- which investigators seem increasingly confident came from a Boeing 777 -- was discovered this week on the remote Indian Ocean island of Reunion.
Work to conclusively identify the debris will begin midweek, French prosecutors say, but not before a French investigative judge meets with French and Malaysian air transport investigators and Malaysian judicial authorities.
Boeing said it is sending experts to France. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board also will travel to take part in the probe, a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.
A preliminary report could come as early as next week, a source close to the French investigation told CNN. The report won't give "an exact sequence of events," the source said, but will at least eliminate some scenarios.
Meanwhile, anguished friends and relative of MH370 passengers, who had clung to the thin hope that perhaps their loved ones would some day be found alive, are coming to grips with the growing realization that's not likely to happen.
01/08/15 Michael Pearson, Jethro Mullen and Nima Elbagir/CNN
