A large piece of debris has washed up on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, leading to hopes that it could be part of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The white object, which appears to bear a strong resemblance to the wing ‘flaperon’ of a large aircraft, was discovered on the shores of Reunion on Wednesday. Malaysia Airlines issued a statement this morning, saying it was aware of the find.

“With regards to the reports of the discovery of an aircraft flaperon at Reunion Island, Malaysia Airlines is working with the relevant authorities to confirm the matter. At the moment, it would be too premature for the airline to speculate the origin of the flaperon,” the airline said.

Hopes were raised earlier in the search for MH370, when pieces of debris washed up on the coast of Western Australia. But these objects were quickly ruled out by investigators.

If the Reunion debris does turn out to be part of MH370, it would confirm the widely-held belief that the aircraft crashed in the Indian Ocean. But until other parts of the aircraft are found, the cause of the incident will remain a mystery.

MH370 vanished while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 2014. To date, no trace of the aircraft or its 239 passengers and crew has been found.