More than three months after Malaysian Airlines Flight MH380 went missing somewhere in between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing, families of the 227 passengers are beginning to receive the initial compensation payouts.

A total of 239 people including crewmembers were on board the flight when it disappeared, and relatives of the passengers can claim up to US$175,000 each, once the flight is officially declared as “lost”.  That has not happened yet.  The payouts are being called “interim compensation”

But many of the families are not taking anything just yet – they are refusing to give up hope that the passengers are still alive.  A group of families has joined together to raise US$5 Million to investigate the plane’s disappearance and to encourage anyone who might have information to come forward.