Relatives of Malaysia Airlines Passengers Receive Compensation

Relatives of passengers from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 have begun receiving compensation payments of USD 50,000.

Six Malaysian families and one Chinese family have so far received compensation from the airline's insurance company, while 40 more expect to receive such in the coming days, BBC reported.

This is not the official compensation sum, as assessments are still carrying on. Relatives of the missing passengers could eventually receive up to USD 175,000 each.

"When we talk about the full payment, we have to wait until we announce the issue on the tragedy MH370 is over", Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Hamzah Zainudin commented.

The Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappeared on March 8, on route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. Search efforts have since proven unsuccessful, although there are indications the plane went off course and fell in the southern Indian Ocean, off the western coast of Australia.