MH370: Next-of-kin were contacted before announcement was made - MAS

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) today denied allegation stating that they had failed to inform the next-of-kin of those on board flight MH370 before the plane’s disappearance was declared an accident, last Thursday.

The company, in a statement today explained that they had contacted all the next-of-kin before a formal announcement was made.

The next-of-kin of passengers and crew onboard the flight had earlier claimed that the government had not handled the announcement in a proper manner which is to inform the next-of-kin of the update first before a formal announcement was made.

“All the next-of-kin were informed via telephone and short-messaging-system (SMS) when a call was not answered,” the statement said.

It added that this was done by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) before the announcement on Thursday and that the next-of-kin in China were informed via SMS sent by the MAS Family Communications and Support Centre in Beijing.