The first ever hearing in a liability lawsuit brought against Malaysia Airlines over missing flight MH370 began Monday morning.
The first trial in the liability lawsuit was held in a Beijing court where the court listened to the family members of those 239 passengers who “disappeared over the Indian Ocean on March 8, 2014.”
What is the lawsuit against Malaysia Airlines?
The lawsuit was reportedly brought forward by the Chinese families who seek to receive compensation and “the truth about what happened to their loved ones almost 10 years ago.”
Hu Xiufang, who lost his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter in the plane’s disappearance, told NBC News, “we have suffered for a decade without any resolution.”
Hu further explained, “I worry about whether I can wait another 10 years, whether I can live for another 10 years.”
Reuters detailed that while the court has not currently released any details, there are more than 40 relatives looking to receive anywhere between between 10 million and 80 million yuan ($1.4 million and $11.2 million) in compensation.
“Malaysian Airlines has set unreasonable preconditions and deployed tactics to dodge payouts,” representative of the families, Jiang Hui, said according to Nikkei Asia. “It now asks us to go through courts for any form of communications.”
The Associated Press reported that the ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin said on Monday, “the Chinese government pays high attention to the follow-up actions of MH370. We hope the relevant parties will maintain close communication and handle it properly.”
An open letter brought forward by the relatives of the passengers on the flight to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim requested that the search for the plane and the missing passengers be resumed.
“The hidden dangers to international aviation safety still cannot be identified and eliminated,” the letter reportedly states. “The families of missing passengers in various countries are being tortured.”
The relatives explained through the letter that in order to avoid future aviation issues with the company, finding the plane would be, “the basis for solving all problems.”
What happened to Malaysia Airlines flight 370?
The infamous Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 took off and turned towards Beijing at about 12:42 a.m.
The flight reportedly began its “routine red-eye” from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when “shortly after takeoff, the plane disappeared from radar screens, and no one in charge could explain why.”
The Deseret News reported that the flight seemed to “disappear out of thin air” with only “meager amounts of debris from the plane” being found since the disappearance.
“Almost 10 years on, the family members (who refused to accept settlement offers) did not receive any apology or a penny of compensation,” Jiang told CNN. “In fact, my mood is very complicated now. There is both a sense of relief and a deep feeling of helplessness.”
