MAB succeeds in striking out suit over MH370

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here yesterday allowed an application by Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) to strike out the negligence suit filed by the next-ofkin of 32 passengers on board the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 which went missing en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014.

Judge Azizul Azmi Adnan, however, said he would give the judgment later.

With this ruling MAB is no longer a defendant in the suit filed on March 3, 2016, by the next of kin of the 32 passengers, comprising 76 plaintiffs as named in the suit, comprising 66 Chinese nationals, eight Indian national and two Americans.

They had named MAB, DirectorGeneral of the Department of Civil Aviation, the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) and the Malaysian government as the defendants.

The plaintiffs are the next-ofkin of 26 Chinese nationals, five Indian nationals and an American who were among those on board the missing aircraft.

In the statement of claims, the plaintiffs claimed that the disappearance of MH370 and death of the 239 passengers and crew on board were due to the negligence of MAS.

They said MAS was, at all material times, responsible for handling and managing the flight and to ensure that the aircraft was air worthy and it arrived safely at its destination.

In failing to do so, they claimed MAS had breached the contract it entered with the MH370 passengers.

The plaintiffs also stated that the disappearance of MH370 was due to the negligence of DCA, ATM and the government and claimed that they had all colluded in the operation and investigation, which resulted in the failure to detect the missing aircraft early, and also in hiding information on the missing aircraft from the public. - Bernama