Lawyers say families key to settlement

Getting to the truth of what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is the first priority, senior lawyers said in London, and the committee of victims' families is a powerful vehicle through which to demand fair and equal treatment from insurance companies representing the airline and aircraft.

"Sadly, the reality seems that the plane has crashed. It is vital that the black boxes are located, recovered and analyzed to get to the truth of what happened," James Healy-Pratt, partner and head of the Aviation and Travel Department of London-based Stewarts Law, told China Daily.

The law firm has helped families of passengers who were aboard Air France's flight 447, which went missing in 2009 and was found days later.