As frustrations and mistrust mount over the handling of the investigation of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, relatives of the aircraft’s passengers from China declined an offer of money from the airline.
MAS had offered “financial assistance” to the sum of 31,000 yuan (RM16,000) to the family of each missing passenger.
However, a family member of one of the passengers told the AFP, “We’re not really interested in the money.”
“It is all about the people — the people on the plane. We just want them back,” she said at the Beijing hotel where relatives and friends of many of the 153 Chinese passengers — more than two-thirds of those on board MH370 — were waiting anxiously for news.
Head of the Malaysia Airlines response team in China, Ignatius Ong, confirmed that the cash offer had not been take up.
He however denied the families had rejected the offer, saying instead that they had asked the airline to “review” the terms stated on the acceptance form.
“There are certain items where there will be a difference of opinion,” he added. “These are very difficult times and we also appreciate that at this time a lot of people are frustrated.”
MAS has also offered to fly two members of each missing Chinese passenger’s family to Kuala Lumpur in order to be closer to the search operation.
Ong confirmed that 12 family members had departed for Kuala Lumpur yesterday, and that the airline was “deploying an additional aircraft” to Beijing to ferry the relatives.
Story: AFP
