Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced Wednesday a piece of a wing found on a remote French island was part of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight 370.

“It is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you, an international team of experts have conclusively confirmed that the aircraft debris found on Reunion is indeed from MH370,” Prime Minister Najib Razak said at a brief press conference. “We now have physical evidence that … Flight MH370 tragically ended in the Southern Indian Ocean.”

The flaperon from a Boeing 777 was found on a beach at the town of Saint Andre on Reunion Island.  The island is a French territory.

The wing part had been taken to the DGA TA aeronautical testing site in Toulouse, France for analysis by aviation experts from around the world.  The wing arrived at the facility on Saturday and officials there say the investigators will conduct a microscopic investigation to see if they can determine why the plane went down.

The discovery confirms that the missing plane went down in the Indian Ocean 17 months ago with 239 passengers and crew aboard.

Australian officials who have been conducting an underwater search for plane debris say they will not alter their search parameters despite the confirmation of the wing part belonging to the missing craft.  They stated that heavier portions of the plane such as the engines would have sunk to the ocean floor and not drifted as the lighter wing part had done.

“The burden and uncertainty faced by the families during this time has been unspeakable,” Prime Minister Najib said. “It is my hope that this confirmation, however tragic and painful, will at least bring certainty to the families and loved ones of the 239 people onboard MH370.”

“I promise you this,” he continued, “Malaysia will always remember and honor those who were lost onboard MH370.”