First lawsuit filed against Malaysia Airlines, government over missing flight MH370

KUALA LUMPUR: Two boys, who lost their father in the mysterious disappearance of Flight MH370, today sued the beleaguered Malaysia Airlines and the government for negligence, the first lawsuit filed over the tragedy.

Jee Kinson, 13, and Jee Kinland, 11 - sons of Jee Jing Hang, who was on board the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines flight - have filed the lawsuit in the Kuala Lumpur High Court, seeking damages for mental distress, emotional pain and the loss of support following the disappearance of their father.

Hang, 41, operated an Internet business earning monthly income of nearly 17,000 ringgit (USD 5,200).

Hang's boys have accused the civil aviation department of negligence for failing to try and contact the plane within a reasonable time after it disappeared from radar while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 with 239 people on board.

The two boys filed the suit through their mother Ng Pearl Ming. They have also named the civil aviation director-general, immigration director-general, chief of air force and the government as defendants.

They have claimed that the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) had breached the "flight agreement" when the plane failed to land at Beijing at 6.30am (local time) on March 8.

In the statement of claim, the boys said their father had entered into an agreement with MAS for safe passage to Beijing when he paid the airfare. They claimed MAS had failed in its duty to take all due measures to ensure a safe flight.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Malaysia's government launched a probe but failed to provide any result so far.

Government believes the flight diverted to the far southern Indian Ocean but no trace has been found despite an extensive search involving several countries.

Country's air force was also criticised after top brass acknowledged military radar had tracked the flight but took no action, saying it was not considered a security threat.

The beleaguered Malaysia Airlines was hammered by the loss of another Flight MH17 which apparently shot down over Ukraine in July, killing all the 298 people on board.