A sand sculpture made by Indian sand artist Sudersan Pattnaik with a message of prayers for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. PHOTO: AFP
The "Reward MH370" campaign launches on fundraising website Indiegogo and aims to raise at least $5 million "to encourage a whistleblower to come forward with information", the families said in a press release.
The Malaysia Airlines jet lost contact on March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard, about two-thirds of them Chinese.
The Boeing 777 is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, but an extensive search has turned up no sign of wreckage so far, leaving frustrated and anguished families of those aboard suspecting a cover-up.
"We are convinced that somewhere, someone knows something, and we hope this reward will entice him or her to come forward," said Ethan Hunt, a technology company chief who is heading the "Reward MH370" project.
Sarah Bajc, partner of American passenger Philip Wood, said a handful of families were behind the campaign to look at the unprecedented aviation mystery with "a fresh set of eyes".
"Governments and agencies have given it their best shot but have failed to turn up a single shred of evidence, either because of a faulty approach or due to intentional misdirection by one or more individuals," she said in the release.
Malaysia and Australia, which is leading the search far off its western coast, have promised that the hunt for the plane will continue.
An international team is now determining an expanded search zone of up to 60,000 square kilometres (24,000 square miles) based on where the aircraft last communicated with an Inmarsat satellite.
Australia has also released a request for tenders for a company to be engaged as a prime contractor and provide the expertise, equipment and vessels needed to carry out the deep-sea search from August.
Malaysia - ruled by the same coalition since 1957 with a history of sweeping scandals aside - has taken the brunt of criticism from upset relatives.
The Southeast Asian country has insisted it is doing all it can and working closely with Australia, China and other countries to find the jet.
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''The so called loss of a huge passenger aircraft bristling with a multitude of electronic transmitters, which could not be turned off, would be amusing if it was not so tragic. I have read that Australia, which is currently implementing stringent austerity measures against its old and poorer citizens is spending 100 million dollars plus to supposedly search for the MH370 when the Government almost certainly knows where the plane landed. It is also interesting to note that the Australian Navy can detect any broken down, virtually electronic free, wooden boat carrying Asian refugees, if it should get within a few hundred kilometers of the Australian coastline, but along with dozens of technologically advanced countries, could not detect an aircraft giving out what was tantamount to distress signals for several hours. I can understand why the MH370 passengers loved ones are so distressed, and they have my deepest sympathy''
I think Mr Ethan Hunt should be commended for such a brilliant idea and for lobbying & mobilizing everyone for it. Surely somewhere someone knows something!!!!! I think something is going to be unfolded soon. But whoever has managed to hide it, has done it rather amazingly till this date.....