Beach cleaner who found MH370 wreckage becomes a star in Reunion

Johnny contacting ET

The man who found wreckage from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 washed up on Reunion has become something of a celebrity on the island, with a growing list of social media tributes and memes.

Johnny Begue, 46, is in charge of the beach cleaning team in Saint Andre, on the east of the island. Last week he told how he had come across the wing fragment while looking for stones to use as a pestle and mortar, to crush spices.

"We wanted to set it on the lawn and plant flowers around it," he said.

But, with Malaysian authorities a week later confirming that the plane was indeed the missing jet, Mr Begue has found himself something of a hero among islanders.

The slogan "Keep calm and call Johnny Begue" was circulated widely on Twitter.

On Facebook, a page dedicated to Mr Begue and his team sprung up - with images of him contacting ET, discovering underwater cities, and finding buried treasure on the island.

"Better call Johnny" was the slogan, with Mr Begue described as a "searcher and finder".

Spoof news site Linfaux showed Mr Begue at the gates of heaven, speaking to a fierce dragon.

"Johnny, what do you want?" the dragon asks. "Power? Immortality? Women? Five million?"

"A stone to crush spices," he replies.

Check some of the Memes of Johnny Begue trending online below:

Another Photo of Johnny discovering lost underwater cities

Mr Begue finding buried treasure