A piece of debris discovered on a beach in Mozambique is being examined to see if it is part of lost Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, after a man contacted the BBC with photos of his find.
The BBC reported that a reader called Luca Kuhn von Burgsdorff had found the piece on the Macaneta peninsula, eastern Africa.
Officials have now been notified and will examine the fragment but experts have said that it is consistent with the area where other parts of the plane have been discovered.
AP
The Associated Press reported that Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester said two other pieces of debris had been found in Mauritius along with the one in Mozambique.
He said in a statement that the Malaysian government is arranging to collect the items and they will then be flown to Australia for examination.
Chester did not give information about the debris but simply said the items are "of interest."
Two weeks ago, officials said a piece of engine cowling found in South Africa and an interior panel piece from an aircraft cabin found on Rodrigues Island off Mauritius were almost certainly from the stricken jet.
Rob Griffith/AP
Those parts were the fourth and fifth pieces of the plane that have been recovered since it disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.
An extensive underwater search of a vast area of the Indian Ocean off Australia's west coast has turned up empty, with crews expected to complete their sweep of the search zone by July or August. Crews have less than 5,800 square mile) of the 46,000 square mile search area left to scour, and there are no plans to extend the hunt beyond that.
Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, acknowledged it is looking less likely that MH370 will be found as the search nears the end.
He said: ”That's just a statement of the obvious. We've covered a fairly significant proportion of our total search area without finding the aircraft and so we have to start considering the alternatives. But we've still got 15,000 square kilometres to go - which is a big chunk. ... So it's not as though we've given up."
Possible debris found from MH370
Missing Malaysia Plane(01 of24)
In this photo dated Wednesday, July 29, 2015, French police officers look over a piece of debris from a plane in Saint-Andre, Reunion Island. Air safety investigators, one of them a Boeing investigator, have identified the component as a "flaperon" from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777 wing, a U.S. official said. Flight 370, which disappeared March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, is the only 777 known to be missing. (AP Photo/Lucas Marie) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Missing Malaysia Plane(02 of24)
In this photo dated Wednesday, July 29, 2015, French police officers carry a piece of debris from a plane in Saint-Andre, Reunion Island. Air safety investigators, one of them a Boeing investigator, have identified the component as a "flaperon" from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777 wing, a U.S. official said. Flight 370, which disappeared March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, is the only 777 known to be missing. (AP Photo/Lucas Marie) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
FRANCE-OVERSEAS-REUNION-ACCIDENT-AVIATION(03 of24)
Police carry a piece of debris from an unidentified aircraft found in the coastal area of Saint-Andre de la Reunion, in the east of the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on July 29, 2015. The two-metre-long debris, which appears to be a piece of a wing, was found by employees of an association cleaning the area and handed over to the air transport brigade of the French gendarmerie (BGTA), who have opened an investigation. An air safety expert did not exclude it could be a part of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which went missing in the Indian Ocean on March 8, 2014. AFP PHOTO / YANNICK PITOU (Photo credit should read YANNICK PITOU/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:YANNICK PITOU via Getty Images)
FRANCE-OVERSEAS-REUNION-ACCIDENT-AVIATION-INVESTIGATION(04 of24)
Policemen and gendarmes stand next to a piece of debris from an unidentified aircraft found in the coastal area of Saint-Andre de la Reunion, in the east of the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on July 29, 2015. The two-metre-long debris, which appears to be a piece of a wing, was found by employees of an association cleaning the area and handed over to the air transport brigade of the French gendarmerie (BGTA), who have opened an investigation. An air safety expert did not exclude it could be a part of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which went missing in the Indian Ocean on March 8, 2014. AFP PHOTO / YANNICK PITOU (Photo credit should read YANNICK PITOU/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:YANNICK PITOU via Getty Images)
FRANCE-OVERSEAS-REUNION-ACCIDENT-AVIATION-INVESTIGATION(05 of24)
A policeman and a gendarme stand next to a piece of debris from an unidentified aircraft found in the coastal area of Saint-Andre de la Reunion, in the east of the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on July 29, 2015. The two-metre-long debris, which appears to be a piece of a wing, was found by employees of an association cleaning the area and handed over to the air transport brigade of the French gendarmerie (BGTA), who have opened an investigation. An air safety expert did not exclude it could be a part of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which went missing in the Indian Ocean on March 8, 2014. AFP PHOTO / YANNICK PITOU (Photo credit should read YANNICK PITOU/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:YANNICK PITOU via Getty Images)
FRANCE-OVERSEAS-REUNION-ACCIDENT-AVIATION-INVESTIGATION(06 of24)
A policeman and a gendarme stand next to a piece of debris from an unidentified aircraft found in the coastal area of Saint-Andre de la Reunion, in the east of the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on July 29, 2015. The two-metre-long debris, which appears to be a piece of a wing, was found by employees of an association cleaning the area and handed over to the air transport brigade of the French gendarmerie (BGTA), who have opened an investigation. An air safety expert did not exclude it could be a part of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which went missing in the Indian Ocean on March 8, 2014. AFP PHOTO / YANNICK PITOU (Photo credit should read YANNICK PITOU/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:YANNICK PITOU via Getty Images)
FRANCE-OVERSEAS-REUNION-ACCIDENT-AVIATION-INVESTIGATION(07 of24)
Police and gendarmes carry a piece of debris from an unidentified aircraft found in the coastal area of Saint-Andre de la Reunion, in the east of the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on July 29, 2015. The two-metre-long debris, which appears to be a piece of a wing, was found by employees of an association cleaning the area and handed over to the air transport brigade of the French gendarmerie (BGTA), who have opened an investigation. An air safety expert did not exclude it could be a part of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which went missing in the Indian Ocean on March 8, 2014. AFP PHOTO / YANNICK PITOU (Photo credit should read YANNICK PITOU/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:YANNICK PITOU via Getty Images)
AUSTRALIA-MALAYSIA-CHINA-AVIATION-MH370-ACCIDENT(08 of24)
Australia's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Warren Truss (L) arrives to speak to the media about MH370, the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, at the airport in Sydney on July 30, 2015. Truss said the discovery of aircraft wreckage in the Indian Ocean was 'a very important development' in the hunt for MH370, and it was feasible debris could have floated to the French island of La Reunion. AFP PHOTO / Peter PARKS (Photo credit should read PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:PETER PARKS via Getty Images)
CHINA-MALAYSIA-AUSTRALIA-AVIATION-MH370-ACCIDENT(09 of24)
Jiang Hui, whose mother is among the passengers on missing Malaysia Airlines MH370, watches a recording of a TV news program about the discovery of part of an airplane wing on the French island of La Reunion, at his home in Beijing on July 31, 2015. Chinese families of those missing on the airliner are waiting to find out if the wing part is from MH370. Meanwhile, Australian authorities on July 31 said the discovery of plane wreckage, even if found to be from MH370, would not narrow down the location of the main debris field or solve the mystery of why the jet crashed. AFP PHOTO / GREG BAKER (Photo credit should read GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:GREG BAKER via Getty Images)
Reunion Missing Malaysia Plane(10 of24)
Workers for an association responsible for maintaining paths to the beaches from being overgrown by shrubs, search the beach for possible additional airplane debris near the shore where an airplane wing part was washed up, in the early morning near to Saint-Andre on the north coast of the Indian Ocean island of Reunion Friday, July 31, 2015. A barnacle-encrusted wing part that washed up on the remote Indian Ocean island could help solve one of aviation's greatest mysteries, as investigators work to connect it to the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that vanished more than a year ago with 293 people aboard. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Reunion Missing Malaysia Plane(11 of24)
A beach walker passes near the shore where an airplane wing part was washed up, in the early morning near Saint-Andre on the north coast of the Indian Ocean island of Reunion Friday, July 31, 2015. A barnacle-encrusted wing part that washed up on the remote Indian Ocean island could help solve one of aviation's greatest mysteries, as investigators work to connect it to the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that vanished more than a year ago with 293 people aboard. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Reunion Missing Malaysia Plane(12 of24)
Workers for an association responsible for maintaining paths to the beaches from being overgrown by shrubs, search the beach for possible additional airplane debris near the area an airplane wing part was washed up, in the early morning near Saint-Andre on the north coast of the Indian Ocean island of Reunion Friday, July 31, 2015. A barnacle-encrusted wing part that washed up on the remote Indian Ocean island could help solve one of aviation's greatest mysteries, as investigators work to connect it to the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that vanished more than a year ago with 293 people aboard. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Reunion Missing Malaysia Plane(13 of24)
Workers for an association responsible for maintaining paths to the beaches from being overgrown by shrubs, search the beach for possible additional airplane debris near the area where an airplane wing part was washed up, in the early morning near to Saint-Andre on the north coast of the Indian Ocean island of Reunion Friday, July 31, 2015. A barnacle-encrusted wing part that washed up on the remote Indian Ocean island could help solve one of aviation's greatest mysteries, as investigators work to connect it to the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that vanished more than a year ago with 293 people aboard. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Missing Malaysia Plane(14 of24)
In this photo dated Wednesday, July 29, 2015, French police officers carry a piece of debris from a plane in Saint-Andre, Reunion Island. Air safety investigators, one of them a Boeing investigator, have identified the component as a "flaperon" from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777 wing, a U.S. official said. Flight 370, which disappeared March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, is the only 777 known to be missing. (AP Photo/Lucas Marie) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
APTOPIX Missing Malaysia Plane(15 of24)
In this photo dated Wednesday, July 29, 2015, French police officers inspect a piece of debris from a plane in Saint-Andre, Reunion Island. Air safety investigators, one of them a Boeing investigator, have identified the component as a "flaperon" from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777 wing, a U.S. official said. Flight 370, which disappeared March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, is the only 777 known to be missing. (AP Photo/Lucas Marie) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
APTOPIX Missing Malaysia Plane(16 of24)
In this photo dated Wednesday, July 29, 2015, a piece of debris from a plane is pictured in Saint-Andre, Reunion Island. A 6-foot long piece of an airplane was found off Reunion Island on Wednesday by people cleaning the beach. Air safety investigators, one of them a Boeing investigator, have identified the component as a "flaperon" from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777 wing, a U.S. official said. Flight 370, which disappeared March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, is the only 777 known to be missing. (AP Photo) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Missing Malaysia Plane(17 of24)
This image taken from video shows a piece of debris from a plane, Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Saint-Andre, Reunion. Air safety investigators, one of them a Boeing investigator, have identified the component as a "flaperon" from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777 wing, a U.S. official said. Flight 370, which disappeared March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, is the only 777 known to be missing. (Reunion 1ere via AP) FRANCE OUT (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Missing Malaysia Plane(18 of24)
In this image taken from video, police officers looking over a piece of debris from a plane, Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Saint-Andre, Reunion. Air safety investigators, one of them a Boeing investigator, have identified the component as a "flaperon" from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777 wing, a U.S. official said. Flight 370, which disappeared March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, is the only 777 known to be missing. (Reunion 1ere via AP) FRANCE OUT (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Missing Malaysia Plane(19 of24)
In this his image taken from video, police officers looking at a piece of debris from a plane, Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Saint-Andre, Reunion. Air safety investigators, one of them a Boeing investigator, have identified the component as a "flaperon" from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777 wing, a U.S. official said. Flight 370, which disappeared March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, is the only 777 known to be missing. (Reunion 1ere via AP) FRANCE OUT (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
APTOPIX Missing Malaysia Plane(20 of24)
This image taken from video, shows a piece of debris from a plane, Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Saint-Andre, Reunion. Air safety investigators, one of them a Boeing investigator, have identified the component as a "flaperon" from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777 wing, a U.S. official said. Flight 370, which disappeared March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, is the only 777 known to be missing. (Reunion 1ere via AP) FRANCE OUT (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Reunion Missing Malaysia Plane(21 of24)
Johnny Begue, 46, who says he found the piece of aircraft debris that is being investigated, is interviewed by The Associated Press in Saint-Andre, on Reunion Island, Thursday July 30, 2015. The fragment may be the first clue to what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared last year with 293 people aboard. Massive search efforts have failed to find any sign of the plane, and authorities are analyzing the piece to see if it matches the missing plane. (AP Photo/Andrew Meldrum) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Missing Malaysia Plane(22 of24)
People walk on the beach of Saint-Andre, Reunion Island, in the hope of finding more plane debris, Thursday, July 30, 2015. A 6-foot long piece of an airplane was found off Reunion Island on Wednesday by people cleaning the beach. Air safety investigators, one of them a Boeing investigator, have identified the component as a "flaperon" from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777 wing, a U.S. official said. Flight 370, which disappeared March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, is the only 777 known to be missing. (AP Photo/Fabrice Wislez) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Large piece of plane debris discovered in Indian Ocean(23 of24)
ANKARA, TURKEY - JULY 30: Debris found on the island of Reunion east of Madagascar, appears to be part of Malaysia Airlines MH370 that disappeared in 2014. (Photo by Graphic: Ahmet Burak Ozkan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Missing Malaysia Plane(24 of24)
A French law enforcement helicopter flies over the beach in Saint-Andre, Reunion Island, in the hope of finding more plane debris, Thursday, July 30, 2015. A 6-foot long piece of an airplane was found off Reunion Island on Wednesday by people cleaning the beach. Air safety investigators, one of them a Boeing investigator, have identified the component as a "flaperon" from the trailing edge of a Boeing 777 wing, a U.S. official said. Flight 370, which disappeared March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, is the only 777 known to be missing. (AP Photo/Fabrice Wislez) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)