KUALA LUMPUR: Families of six crew members on board the ill-fated Flight MH17 filed a suit against Malaysia Airline System (MAS) and Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) for negligence and breach of contract.
A total of 11 next-of-kin of the cabin crew launched the legal action at the High Court Registry here today through the Messrs Thomas Philip to seek compensation.
The families claimed that MAS and MAB, who were named as the first and second defendants, respectively, had negligently dispatched and executed the flight over an area known to be under armed conflict which posed an unreasonable risk of harm and death to the victims.
Apart from that they claimed that the defendants had failed to have adequate risk assessment systems in place.
The plaintiffs also contended that MAS and MAB were in breach of contract for failing to ensure the safety, health and well-being of the flight crew.
They asserted that the defendants had failed to conduct adequate risk assessment training for personnel, flight crew and operational staff including preparation and finalisation of route and flight plans.
Consequently they are seeking for general damages including loss of support, services and for pain and sufferings as well as for traumatic psychiatric injury, nervous shock and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Among others they are also seeking for aggravated, exemplary, pre-judgement and post-judgement interest.
The six crew members are inflight supervisor Mohd Gafar Abu Bakar, leading flight stewardess Lee Hui Pin, flight stewardess Chong Yee Pheng, Hamfazlin Sham Mohamed Arifin and Nur Shazana Mohamed Salleh and flight steward Sanjid Singh Sandhu Jijar Singh.
The families were represented by lawyer T.Balan Nair.
MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people onboard.