A total of 14.2 million Malaysian ringgit, or around US $4.3 million, in compensation payouts have been paid to the families of the insured passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 plane, the Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM) said.

A total of 184 policies availed by the passengers of the missing airplane were issued by life insurance companies in Malaysia, said LIAM President Vincent Kwo.

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The recent payment means Malaysian insurers only have to settle the balance of 4.5 million Malaysian ringgit (US $1.3 million) in claims, Kwo added. The balance will be paid to family members as soon as appropriate documents are submitted.

Families of passengers who were insured by Malaysian insurance firms received the compensation payouts over the past few weeks without having to go through the long normal process as life insurance firms in the country had taken a proactive approach in expediting the claims process.

“We understand the grief of the family members that is why we are releasing the pay out faster and easier for them,” said Kwo.

To expedite the claims process, Kwo said insurance firms have waived the death certificate requirements and have marked as top priority the claims related to the missing Malaysian Airline flight MH370.

For those families who have not claimed yet, Kwo encouraged them to get in touch their respective insurance firms. But not all of the passengers onboard the missing plane were insured by Malaysian insurance firms.

Kwo said those who are unsure if their family members had purchased life insurance prior to boarding the plane may contact the LIAM hotline at 03-26916628.

Malaysia Airline Flight MH370 was on its way to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, carrying 239 crew and passengers that were mostly Chinese nationals, when it disappeared from the radar screens.

Two months since then, authorities still have not found any trace of the ill-fated airplane. An international search operation, participated in by China, Australia, the United States and other countries, is focusing in the southern Indian Ocean, where the plane was believed to have crashed.

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