The family of MH370 passenger New Zealander Paul Weeks is suing Malaysia Airlines in an Australian court for the "sudden shock" and "mental harm" they suffered after the plane vanished, a report said Sunday.
Weeks, who was based in the West Australian city of Perth, was one of 239 people on board the Boeing 777 Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight when it disappeared on March 8, 2014.
Next-of-kin had started to file lawsuits over the jet's disappearance as a two-year deadline approached last week, with some hopeful the court scrutiny could shed light on what happened to the ill-fated flight.
Under international agreements, families have up to two years to sue over air accidents.
Weeks' wife, mother, brother and sister were separately suing the flag carrier in the Supreme Court of Western Australia, according to Perth's The Sunday Times, citing five writs lodged on March 4.
They were seeking compensation for "personal injury, loss and damage" suffered as a result of "sudden shock" and "mental harm" after the disappearance, the Times said.
"The cause of the plaintiff's pain, injury, loss and damage was negligence of the defendant," the newspaper cited the writs as saying.
A fifth writ was filed on behalf of Weeks' two children, the report added, without disclosing the amount of damages sought.
Sara Weeks, his New Zealand-based sister, told TVNZ's ONE News Sunday she just wanted to know where the plane was.
Malaysia Airlines also faces legal action elsewhere. In Beijing, relatives of a dozen Chinese passengers filed suits against the airline, Boeing, Rolls Royce and others last week.
The latest legal claim in Australia came as a piece of debris found by a South African holidaymaker in Mozambique in December was to be sent to Australia for analysis, South African officials said Friday.
Other pieces of debris found earlier this month have yet to be confirmed as from the missing jet.
Australia is leading the search for MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean. The hunt is expected to wrap up in June-July if the aircraft is not found in the target zone of 120,000 square kilometres (46,000 square miles).
No crash site has been located. So far, only a wing fragment that washed ashore on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion last July has been confirmed as being from the plane.
AFP
Sun Mar 13 2016
No crash site has been located.
ANALYSIS - What could happen if Trump rejects the US election results
If Trump seems to be losing, the delay could let him claim fraud and undermine confidence in election officials.
Motorcycling - Marquez wins Australian MotoGP after intense battle with Martin
The 31-year-old, third in the championship standings, has now won the Australian MotoGP four times in the premier class.
Prabowo takes up Indonesian presidency, vows to tackle corruption, other issues
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto on Sunday took over as president of the world's third-largest democracy, vowing to combat internal issues
Nepal's Sherpas deserve more, says teenager who scaled world's 14 tallest peaks
Sherpas are known for climbing skills that make them the backbone of mountain expeditions.
Inside the underground lab in China tasked with solving a physics mystery
China will soon collect neutrino data, aiming to unravel one of particle physics' biggest mysteries.
Millions in Cuba still without power as major outage persists
Millions of Cubans remain without electricity because of a prolonged outage at the main power plants on the island, Anadolu Agency reported.
Surge in Gaza violence increases famine risk, monitor says
About 1.84 million people across the besieged Palestinian enclave are living through high levels of acute food insecurity.
Israel pounds Beirut and Gaza after rockets hit Israel's north
A drone was launched at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's holiday home.
Elon Musk promises to award $1 mil each day to a signer of his petition
He awarded a $1 million check to an attendee of his event in Pennsylvania aimed at rallying supporters behind Donald Trump.
Former special forces commander Prabowo to take up Indonesian presidency
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto will take over as president of the world's third-largest democracy after sweeping the country's election with policies like free meals for school children
Father of Malaysian Islamic banking, Abdul Halim Ismail passes away
His dedication and pioneering spirit played an important role in shaping the journey of Bank Islam as well as leaving a lasting impact on the development of Malaysia's Islamic finance industry.
Zayn Malik postpones US tour dates after One Direction bandmate Liam Payne's death
Payne, 31, died on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, shocking fans of the boy band.
Why voters in a handful of swing states will decide the US presidential election
The contest will almost certainly be decided by just tens of thousands of voters a tiny fraction of the populace in a handful of states.
INSIGHT - Sudan's war risks 'lost generation' of children
A devastating crisis is unfolding in Sudan, where the most vulnerable members of society children are bearing the brunt of the violence.
Who is Prabowo Subianto, incoming president of Indonesia?
A wealthy ex-general with ties to Indonesia's popular outgoing president and its dictatorial past, looks set to be its next leader.
Trump says he would impose tariffs on China if China went into Taiwan
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would impose additional tariffs on China if China were to "go into Taiwan,"
Iran's supreme leader says Hamas leader's death will not halt 'Axis of Resistance'
The "Axis of Resistance", built up with years of Iranian support, includes Hamas, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and various Shi'ite groups in Iraq and Syria.
Putin says Russia willing to seek compromises between Iran and Israel
Russia is ready to help seek compromises between arch-foes Israel and Iran, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, saying these would be difficult but possible.
What proposals will Russia push at the BRICS summit?
The proposal is also to establish a BRICS reinsurance company to allow uninterrupted shipment of goods and key commodities between members.
Indonesia's free meals plan in the spotlight as Prabowo readies for office
Prabowo calls the programme one of the main drivers of economic growth, eventually set to add an estimated 2.5 million jobs.