MH370: Tripartite meeting agrees to send next-of-kin to Perth

The next-of-kin of passengers and crew on board the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370 aircraft will be flown to Perth, once any debris related to the aircraft is identified and confirmed.

According to an official statement on the Tripartite Meeting in Canberra, Australia, which was made available to Bernama, participating ministers at the meeting had agreed among others, that MAS would be responsible for the travel arrangements.

"The airline will also retain broad responsibility for their support during the visit, including flights, accommodation, transportation and family support," it said.

The arrangement, among others, was agreed in the Tripartite Meeting chaired by Australian Deputy Prime Minister, Warren Truss in Canberra, Monday morning as part of an agreed reception programme for the next-of-kin.

The meeting was also joined by Malaysia's Acting Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and China Transport Minister Yang Chuantang.

The ministers had also agreed that Australia provide support and information to the next-of-kin, in terms of entry requirements to ensure their travel in and out of Australia was well taken care of.

China would actively facilitate and support matters relating to the Chinese next-of-kin, said the statement.

Earlier, Truss in a press conference after the meeting, explained that the search operation would target the ocean floor of the southern Indian Ocean, which included mapping out its areas.

He said that was necessary after failing to detect any debris of the missing aircraft during the aerial, surface and underwater search over the past 59 days.

Truss said the ocean floor mapping was expected to take up to six weeks as most of the areas had never been mapped before.