by Our Foreign Desk

DEBRIS washed up on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion may be part of the Malaysian airliner that disappeared over a year ago, experts said yesterday.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said yesterday that the piece of wreckage had been sent to Toulouse in France for identification.

“We have had many false alarms before, but for the sake of the families who have lost loved ones and suffered such heartbreaking uncertainty, I pray that we will find out the truth so that they may have closure and peace,” he said.

Air-safety investigators, including one from manufacturer Boeing, have identified the debris as a flaperon control surface from the wing of a Boeing 777 airliner.

Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 2014 with 239 people on board is the only known missing Boeing 777.

Confirmation that the wreckage came from MH370 — possibly via serial numbers — would lay to rest speculation that the plane was hijacked and flown to some unknown landing site.

Investigators believe, based on satellite data, that the plane turned south into the Indian Ocean after vanishing from radar.

“It’s the first real evidence that there is a possibility that a part of the aircraft may have been found,” said Australian Transport Minister Warren Truss, whose country is leading the search for the plane far off Australia’s west coast. “It’s too early to make that judgment but clearly we are treating this as a major lead.”