It's been more than six weeks since a Malaysian Airlines jet went missing over the Indian Ocean, and with no sign of the plane's whereabouts, the Malaysian government is planning for the next step.
In a briefing Sunday, the Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister discussed plans for financial compensations with the families of the missing passengers. The official also said the government is preparing to issue death certificates. (Via CBC)
According to The Malaysian Insider, those certificates would help the families handle bank matters such as mortgages and car loans that are in the missing passengers' names.
The details of the financial plans remain unclear, but Bernama reports they will be discussed further Monday when the next-of-kin will propose a monetary amount Malaysian Airlines will consider for a trust fund.
It will be the second round of such aid since the incident in an attempt to ease tensions between the government and the families who have been critical of the handling of the investigation. (Via CNN)
Meanwhile, a U.S. Navy submarine drone began its eighth mission in searching for any signs of the missing plane.
It has scoured half of the targeted search area within a 6-mile radius where several pings have been detected in the Indian Ocean west of Australia, but it has yet to uncover any solid evidence about the plane's disappearance. (Via U.S. Navy)
BBC reports the drone's mapping of the sea floor should be completed next week, but if nothing is found, the search area might be broadened.
As many as 11 military aircraft and 12 ships from different countries have aided in the search effort.
