Mixed Messages on 777 Part Frustrate Flight 370 Families

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s announcement in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday that the part, known as a flaperon, did indeed come from the doomed aircraft 

Bao Lanfang, a Chinese relative of missing passengers on Malaysia Airlines flight MH 370 cries as she waits for information outside the airline's office on August 6, 2015 in Beijing, China. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—The confusion and frustration that punctuated the investigation into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 erupted anew Thursday after officials offered conflicting levels of confidence on whether a piece of a wing found washed up on an Indian Ocean island last week came from the vanished plane.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s announcement in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday that the part, known as a flaperon, did indeed come from the doomed aircraft was at odds with the message from authorities in France, the U.S. and Australia, who have stopped short of full confirmation.

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