The Malaysian Transport Ministry has directed the Department of Civil Aviation to investigate a claim that wreckage of a plane which could be MH370 had been found on an island in the southern Philippines.

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said the investigation would also involve the ministry's Air Accident Investigation Division.

"I have received a report on the discovery and it cannot be confirmed yet. We will let them investigate," he told a media conference after the 62nd MCA annual general assembly in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (Oct 11).

He hoped the public would not speculate on the claim.

One Jamil Omar had lodged a report at the Sandakan police station claiming that a family member discovered the wreckage in a forest at Pulau Sugbay, Tawi-Tawi in the Philippines early September.

The report also claimed human skeletal remains and a Malaysian flag were inside the plane.

MH370 was reported missing on March 8 last year on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing carrying 239 passengers and crew.

(Bernama)