Veeru Mewa, the lawyer representing many of the families of the doomed flight’s 298 victims, confirmed last weekend that Malaysia Airlines has reached agreements on damages with the vast majority of the victims' families. News of the settlement coincided with the two-year anniversary of the incident on Sunday, which also served as the filing deadline for damages claims.

On 17 July 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur as it passed over territory held by pro-Russian separatists. According to reports in Dutch media, both Malaysia Airlines and the victims’ families have agreed to maintain secrecy around the details of the settlement deal. However, under the Montreal Convention, airlines are required to pay out at least £109,000 to the families of victims who perish in aviation accidents, regardless of the circumstances of the crash. 

Sources: BBC; Sydney Morning Herald