KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 ― A Mauritian entrepreneur has developed an app as a crowdsourcing tool to catalogue debris from the Indian Ocean that may be linked to missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370, an Australian daily reported today.

The app, called “Spot MH370”, was launched as a public space for beachcombers to upload photographs of possible MH370 wreckage after its developer Reefcube chief executive Eric Chaber claimed the authorities had “kidnapped” the inquiry on the missing aircraft.

“The general feeling on the social networks and on the Internet is that we don't have enough information,” Chaber said in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH).

According to SMH, beachcombers at Reunion Island, where a piece of a Boeing-777 jetliner was found and believed to be from MH370, have been collecting masses of beach debris that may be linked to the disappeared flight.

SMH also noted, however, that much of the debris posted on “Spot MH370” have been rubbished by the Malaysian and French authorities.

Chaber added that he hoped the app would provide the MH370 next-of-kin access to information, which he claimed has been in short supply from the relevant authorities.

“I think that we have to put ourselves in the shoes of the families that have had no news of the victims for more than 500 days.

“They need to know ... they need to make their own opinion about it,” he said.

The app, which is available in English and French, displays several pictures of the debris found on the island but is void of any advertisements.

Chaber also denied profiting from the app, SMH reported.

“Spot MH370” is available for download for free on Android devices but not at the Apple store.

The discovery of a flaperon on the French island of La Reunion last month has given searchers a fresh lead in the hunt for MH370.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has declared the washed-up wing part as having come from the Boeing 777 used in the missing flight.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said last week that more possible MH370 objects ― aircraft seat cushions and windows ― have been found on the island, but must first be verified by investigators.

Although the discovery provides fresh impetus in the investigation, oceanographers have cautioned against optimism in the search for MH370 and the black boxes vital to solve the biggest mystery in aviation history, saying that it was unlikely that the debris will help determine the location of the main wreckage of the plane.

MH370 disappeared while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.