SYDNEY ¨C A mystery that began with the disappearance of a Malaysian plane en route to China that detoured to the waters off Australia¡¯s coast has now spread across the Indian Ocean close to Africa. Next stop: France.
Reunion, an island east of Madagascar where an aircraft part washed up on shore and has been taken into police custody, is a territory of France that sends eight legislators to France¡¯s National Assembly. The piece will be dispatched from Reunion Friday and arrive on the French mainland Saturday to be examined near Toulouse, France¡¯s Europe1 radio reported on its website.
¡°It¡¯s a bit difficult when something lands in the great white oceans, because you don¡¯t own the ocean more than 12 miles off your coastline,¡± Brian O¡¯Keefe, a former vice president of the International Civil Aviation Organization¡¯s general assembly, said by phone from Canberra. ¡°It¡¯s an unusual case where the wreckage is found in a different jurisdiction to the place where the accident is thought to have happened.¡±
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.