A campaign launched to raise money in hopes of motivating a private firm to investigate the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and the 239 people on board had raised about $6,000 on Monday, a day after it went live.
The creators of the “Reward MH370” fund are aiming to raise $5 million by July 8, which would mark four months since the jet vanished without a trace.
“We believe we will hit our goal, and perhaps even surpass it,” Sarah Bajc, whose partner, Philip Wood, was aboard the plane, told NBC News on Sunday.
Bajc launched the project with four other family members of passengers who say they’re looking for the truth — Ghislain Wattrelos, whose children and wife were on the plane; Peter Weeks, whose brother was on board; and K.S. Narendran and Pralhad Shirseth, whose wives were aboard.
When officials “first supplied modified and limited Inmarsat data, and then announced that the ocean pings were false leads, we knew it was time to act,” Bajc said.
The jet has yet to turn up despite a massive search effort. Malaysian and Australian officials, relying on radar data, say they believe it crashed in the Indian Ocean west of Australia.
The fund’s creators said in statements that they created the fund in hopes of finding closure and in an effort to “prevent this from ever happening again."
A video posted on the fundraising page on Indiegogo.com features the project’s creators and leader, and alleges conspiracy.
Project leader Ethan Hunt holds up a handwritten sign that reads: “The truth is out there and someone somewhere knows the TRUTH!”
“The expectation is that a substantial reward will provide sufficient incentive for someone to speak up,” according to the webpage. A secure website for investigators and “whistle-blowers” to submit tips will launch on June 15, the family members said.
