This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on February 26, 2016.

KUALA LUMPUR: A housewife and her family have filed a RM32 million negligence suit against Malaysia Airlines and eight others over the disappearance of flight MH370, which is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean two years ago.

K Sri Devi’s husband, S Puspanathan, a governance specialist, was among the 239 passengers and crew on board the Beijing-bound flight.

Included in the suit as plaintiffs are the couple’s children, Haresh Varmer, 5, and Thashvarmen, 3, and Puspanathan’s parents, G Subramaniam and A Amirathan.

Lawyer Shailender Bhar, who filed the suit at the High Court on behalf of the plaintiffs yesterday, said among those named as part to the action were Malaysian Airlines System Bhd, Malaysia Airlines Bhd, the Department of Civil Aviation, the Immigration Department, the  Royal Malaysian Air Force and the government.

He said the thrust of the suit was that the owner of the aircraft was negligent in causing the aircraft to go missing.

He added that the Civil Aviation and Immigration departments were also in breach of their statutory duties.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages for, among others, loss of support, nervous shock and bereavement.

Shailender said his clients had written to the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Civil Aviation and Immigration departments for clarification, but none was forthcoming.

“The family has been waiting for answers and the plane to be discovered but to no avail,” he said. — The Malaysian Insider