Families of 12 passengers on missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 file lawsuits

Lawyer Sangeet Deo, right, is representing the families of 10 passengers on missing MH370. Olivia Harris / Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR // Families of 12 passengers on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on Friday sued the carrier and the government, ahead of a filing deadline next week on the second anniversary of the plane’s disappearance.

The Boeing 777 jet carrying 239 flew far off course for unknown reasons after leaving Kuala Lumpur for Beijing on March 8, 2014. An ongoing search of the southern Indian Ocean has found no trace of the plane, though a wing part from the aircraft washed ashore on Reunion Island last year.

A global aviation agreement sets a two-year deadline for lawsuits by next-of-kin over air accidents.

Lawyer Sangeet Deo, who is representing 10 families, said the lawsuits involve a passenger from Russia, one from China and the rest from Malaysia. Apart from the airline, the lawsuits also named the government and the then heads of the civil aviation department and the navy as defendants.

Ms Sangeet said her clients were engaged in settlement negotiations with the airline earlier.

“Everyone waited till the last minute to give time to the airline to settle but nothing reasonable was forthcoming. So they have no choice but to take legal action given the time limitation,” she said.

Lawyer Yeoh Cho Kheong, who is representing the families of two Ukrainian passengers, said his clients will continue negotiations with the airline despite the lawsuit.

All the lawsuits are seeking unspecified sums for negligence and breach of contract, the lawyers said.

An international aviation agreement allows each next-of-kin of passengers on board a plane up to US$175,000 (Dh642,766) in compensation, but a plaintiff filing a lawsuit can seek more.

* Associated Press