Chinese families of missing Malaysia MH370 plane seek compensation in court

Compensation hearings for the Chinese relatives of passengers on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which vanished over the Indian Ocean inexplicably nearly ten years ago, were initiated by a Beijing court on Monday, according to the claimants.

On March 8, 2014, an aeroplane carrying more than 150 Chinese passengers disappeared while travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The potential that the aircraft was intentionally diverted was not ruled out by Malaysian investigators, and aircraft wreckage that has been verified or is thought to be from the aircraft has washed up on islands in the Indian Ocean and along the African coast.

The families of these passengers indicated that among other companies, they were suing Boeing, Malaysia Airlines, Rolls-Royce, and the Allianz insurance company for compensation.

The case was not made public by the court, but according to state media, over 40 relatives were requesting compensation of between 10 and 80 million yuan ($1.4 million and $11.2 million) each.

Requests for response from Malaysia Airlines, Rolls-Royce, Allianz, and Boeing were not immediately answered.

Jiang Hui, a representative for the grieving families, held posters stating that they had no alternative but to go to court in order to get answers from Malaysia Airlines. The signs demanded to “resume the search” and “re-establish an international investigation team.”

Before the hearing, reporters were barred from the Chaoyang District People’s Court in Beijing due to the significant police presence, making it impossible for them to speak with the family members.

Speaking with reporters following the hearing, a few of the relatives expressed their desire for Malaysia Airlines to get in touch with them directly and offer them psychological support in addition to the resumed search and rescue operations.

Many claimed that these criteria had greater significance than the financial reward.

A different set of family members pleaded with the Malaysian government in March to permit the American seabed exploration company Ocean Infinity to launch a fresh search for the missing aircraft.

(With agency inputs)