Malaysia formally declares dead all people aboard MH370

Malaysia on Thursday officially declared dead the 239 people aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 that disappeared in March, allowing the bereaved to claim compensation, dpa reported.
After 327 days and based on all available data, it was highly unlikely anyone had survived, said Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, chief of Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation.
'All 239 of the passengers and crew on board MH370 are presumed to have lost their lives,' he said in a televised statement.
'It is hoped that this declaration will enable the families to obtain the assistance they need, in particular through the compensation process,' he said.
The airliner disappeared an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing on March 8.
Search operations have focused on the southern Indian Ocean, where data showed the jetliner was likely to have crashed.