Beijing court orders Malaysia Airlines to pay $410,000 compensation to each family of victims of flight MH370
MH370 crash remains unsolved, but lawyers and authorities work to bring clarity and justice to the families
by Mara Monti
A Beijing court has ruled that Malaysian Airlines must pay 2.9 million yuan ($410,000) to each of the families of the eight passengers who disappeared in the mysterious plane crash of flight MH370 more than a decade ago.
The Chaoyang District People's Court, in accordance with the Montreal Convention and relevant Chinese laws, ordered the airline to pay each family compensation for the death of their loved ones, funeral expenses, and damages resulting from the emotional trauma, according to the court. Although it is not known what happened to the passengers, they were declared legally dead.
On board the flight, which disappeared after leaving Kuala Lumpur for Beijing in 2014, were 239 passengers and crew members. Despite years of searching, it is not known why the plane crashed or what happened to the people on board. Most of the passengers were Chinese and their families in China have continued to search for answers. Of the remaining 70 cases related to flight MH370, the court stated that another 23 cases remain pending. In 47 other cases, the families reached a settlement with the airlines and withdrew their cases.
Since 2016, family members of the missing passengers have filed 78 lawsuits, 'seeking damages and the establishment of a search and rescue fund, among other demands, against Malaysia Airlines and other defendants'.
Meanwhile, the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will resume on 30 December, the Ministry of Transport said on Wednesday. Exploration company Ocean Infinity will resume seabed search operations intermittently for a total of 55 days, the ministry said in a statement.
