Debris discovered 'very likely' from Boeing 777: Malaysian PM

French gendarmes and police stand near a large piece of plane debris which was found on the beach in Saint-Andre, on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, July 29, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Thursday that the debris discovered on the beach of Reunion Island is "very likely" to be from a Boeing 777.

"Initial reports suggest that the debris is very likely to be from a Boeing 777, but we need to verify whether it is from flight MH370," Najib said in a statement on his Facebook page.

However, he said it is too early to speculate at this stage.

The debris will be shipped by French authorities to Toulouse, site of the nearest office of the BEA, the French authority responsible for civil aviation accident investigations, Najib said, adding that a Malaysian team is on the way to Toulouse now, which includes senior representatives from the Transport Ministry, the Department of Civil Aviation, the MH370 investigation team, and Malaysia Airlines.

He said that the location where the debris was found is consistent with the drift analysis provided to the Malaysian investigation team, which showed a route from the southern Indian Ocean to Africa.

"As soon as we have more information or any verification we will make it public," the Malaysian prime minister said. "I promise the families of those lost that whatever happens, we will not give up."

Malaysia Airlines' Flight MH370 disappeared without a trace in March last year while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The Boeing 777 aircraft was carrying 239 passengers and crew. Most of the passengers were Chinese.