The first funerals for the passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 have been set for this weekend, according to relatives. A Malaysian official also encouraged the relatives to "face reality" and return to their homes.

Even as the air and sea search has been intensified, no trace of the missing aircraft has turned up since it disappeared on March 8 during its journey from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, according to The Financial Express.

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Almost eight weeks after the disappearance, Malaysia Airlines has announced that it will close the assistance centers it had set up for the passengers' families in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur, the report detailed.

Malaysia deputy foreign minister Hamzah Zainudin told the relatives in a Friday conference that they now have to be realistic and wait for updates in their hometowns. He also said the airline had been supporting the passengers' relatives in Beijing for 55 days already, the report continued.

Some of the Chinese relatives have already gone home, but there were still some who want to stay, the report added.

Meanwhile, relatives and friends of Australian passengers Rod and Mary Burrows will hold a memorial service for them on Sunday in Brisbane. Four other Australians were on board the flight, the Financial Express said.

A day before the announcement was made, Malaysia released a comprehensive report on the disappearance of Flight MH370. Based on the report, four hours went by after the plane failed to call in before authorities decided to launch a search, the report relayed.

Maps showing the plane's possible flight path have also been released. Investigators believe that the aircraft turned south towards the Indian Ocean after it turned from the South China Sea, the report detailed.

Experts have then focused search efforts on a large area of the Indian Ocean northwest of Perth, Australia. However, after weeks of futile search with no sign of debis, the air and surface search have already been called off by Australian officials, the report said.

Australia and Malaysia are now eyeing an eight-month sonar search contract with commercial firms to scour the seabed for signs of the missing aircraft. This search could cost US$55.6 million (A$60 million), the Financial Express reported.