MH370 The General Insurance Association of Malaysia (Piam) members have agreed that a death certificate will not be a requisite when submitting claims in regards to passengers and crew members on-board MH370, due to the nature of the incident.

“All 15 insurers that have directly insured the passengers and crew members of MH370 have agreed to simplify the documentation and claims processes and claims will be paid out speedily,” Piam chairperson Chua Seck Guan said in a statement today.

“The industry is committed to provide all necessary assistance to all parties involved in the MH370 incident. We would like to stress that our member companies are well-positioned to provide services and quickly pay out claims to help the affected parties ride through these difficult times,” Chua said.

Flight MH370, with 239 people aboard, left the KL International Airport at 12.41am on March 8 and vanished from radar screens about an hour later while over the South China Sea.

It was to have arrived in Beijing at 6.30am on the same day.

The statement noted that the Malaysian general insurance industry will also accord special priority to speed up the claims payouts and enable the insured’s family members to quickly receive their settlements.

From a recent survey conducted by Piam, some insurers have settled such claims within two working days upon receipt of the required claims documents.

According to Chua, the association has also received some calls from affected families and Piam has tried its best to advise and assist in the best possible way to make the trying times of these families easier.

To file a claim, affected family members will only need to present the duly completed claim form and other relevant documents.

Piam is the national trade association of all licensed direct and reinsurance companies for general insurance in Malaysia and currently has 29 member companies.

- Bernama