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France steps up search efforts for MH370 debris

France is sending extra planes, boats and helicopters to search for debris from missing Malaysian Airlines plane MH370 along the coast of Reunion Island.

It comes after a wing fragment and a plane window were found on the remote Indian Ocean island.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott hailed the discovery of the wing fragment, stating that the "baffling mystery" of the flight's disappearance was closer to being solved, while Malaysia Airlines said it was a "major breakthrough" in resolving the mystery.

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Abbott: Baffling MH370 mystery closer to being solved

The "baffling mystery" of missing flight MH370 is closer to being solved, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said.

Tony Abbott speaking to reporters. Credit: APTN

The Malaysian prime minister said yesterday that debris found on an Indian Ocean island did belong to the missing plane, which disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 2014.

French investigators stopped short of declaring they were certain of a link, saying only that there was a "very strong presumption".

Mr Abbott told reporters: "For the first time we may be a little bit closer to solving this baffling mystery."

He said the findings did indicate that the plane "did come down more or less where we thought it did".

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France steps up search efforts for MH370 debris

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