MALDIVES - The Maldivian police have launched investigations into debris found on the beach of a private resort to determine if it had any connection to the missing Malaysian Airline fight MH370, an official said on Friday.

An official from the Maldives Police Service (MPS) told Xinhua that a police team along with an aviation team had visited the Banyan Tee Resort in K. Atoll to probe the suspected plane debris.

"The team has already taken the debris into its possession and we are trying to determine what it is. Investigations are still in its preliminary stages," the official said.

According to local media reports, a 5 to 7-inch piece suspected to belong to a plane was discovered on the beach in May.

Police said the case shed light when pictures of the debris were posted on social media by a resident in the area.

The move came after a plane wing part washed ashore on the French island of Reunion was confirmed to be from MH370, more than a year after the Boeing 777 disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people aboard.