“It is still speculation right now,” the minister told The Star at Langkawi International Airport, referring to news reports on the reported wreckage.

Liow added that he had instructed Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation to contact its Thai counterpart for verification.

He added that the public should not share unverified news lest it “causes more pain to the victims’ family members”.

The piece of suspected plane wreckage was reportedly found off the coast of southern Thailand, prompting speculation it might belong to Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370.

Authorities in southern Thailand will enlist aviation experts to inspect the suspected “wreckage” found near Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Police Sub Lieutenant It Paijit Pongkaew said the suspected wreck-|age would be brought to the district |police station for experts from the aviation sector and the country’s air force to inspect it.

“We are in the process of contacting authorities, especially from the aviation sector and also the air force, to enable them to better inspect the suspected plane wreckage,” he told Bernama news agency from Pak Phanang.

The found wreckage, he said, had been placed at the sub-district chief’s house in Pak Phanang for security reasons before authorities moved it to the police station.

It is reported that the serial number found on a bolt part indicated that NAS6204-31 belonged to a Boeing 777, the same model as MH370, but it is unclear whether it is the same aircraft.

On Saturday, local villagers living off the coast of Nakhon Si Thammarat, re-ported finding a large metal object, |measuring two metres wide and three metres long, suspected to have come from a plane.

The find has prompted speculation that the suspected plane wreckage might be related to Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared during a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing two years ago.

MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, after its departure from Kuala Lumpur with 239 passengers on board.

On July 29, 2015, a piece of the |plane’s wing was discovered on Reunion Island and sent to France for further |analysis.

On August 6, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak confirmed that part of the flaperon found on the island belonged to the aircraft.