The metal piece with the words “no step” printed on it was found by a boat operator and shown to Seattle attorney Blaine Gibson, who was in Mozambique for his own investigation into what happened to the 239 passengers and crew who disappeared aboard the Boeing 777 jetliner in 2014.
The Mozambique location is consistent with some expert predictions of where debris could have drifted from a likely crash in the southern Pacific or Indian oceans, according to the Reuters news service.
“The location of the debris is consistent with drift modeling commissioned by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and reaffirms the search area for MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean,” Darren Chester, Australia’s minister for infrastructure and transport, said in a written statement.
The debris is expected to be sent to aviation experts in Australia for thorough analysis, Reuters said.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished March 8, 2014, on a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur after its pilots signed off for the night without reporting anything unusual.
None of the missing passengers and crew have been found or heard from since the flight.
A piece of a 777 wing that might have been from Flight 370 was found last year on Reunion Island, but France took possession of the item and has not released any further details, Reuters said.
The ATSB and a separate agency set up in Australia to search for the missing plane, the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, were not available for comment, Reuters said.
Gibson also did not respond to requests for comment, the news service said.
