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PERTH, Australia (AP) — Relatives of those missing on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 are expressing dissatisfaction after a meeting with a Malaysian official today.
A deputy foreign affairs minister discussed ways of providing passengers' relatives financial assistance, but relatives say authorities should not try to settle the case until "at least a tiny bit of concrete evidence" that the plane crashed is found. After the meeting, they complained that the official provided no meaningful report on the progress of the investigation and "not a single one" of their questions was answered.
The Malaysian official says his government recognizes it's "an excruciating time for the families."
An unmanned submarine continues to search the Indian Ocean for signs of the plane. After nearly a week of sweeping the bottom of the ocean with sonar, the U.S. Navy's Bluefin 21 has covered about half of its focused search area, a 6-mile radius around the location of an underwater signal that was believed to have come from the aircraft's black boxes. The sub has yet to uncover any clues.
The search for floating debris on the surface also continues. That area is more than 18,000 square miles.
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APPHOTO XPER101: In this Thursday, April 17, 2014 photo provided by the Australian Defense Force, Evan Tanner, bottom right, and Chris Minor from Phoenix International conduct pre-deployment checks the Phoenix Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Artemis off the deck of Australian Defense Vessel Ocean Shield before launching the vehicle into the southern Indian Ocean in the search of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Up to 11 aircraft and 12 ships continue to scan the ocean surface for debris from the Boeing 777 that disappeared March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. (AP Photo/Australian Defense Force, Bradley Darvill) EDITORIAL USE ONLY (17 Apr 2013)
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APPHOTO XPER103: In this Thursday, April 17, 2014 photo provided by the Australian Defense Force, Commander James Lybrand, Mission Commander ADV Ocean Shield, left, and Chris "Sharkie" Moore, Phoenix team leader, watch the launching of the Phoenix International Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Artemis as it is craned over the side of Australian Defense Vessel Ocean Shield before launching it in to the southern Indian Ocean in the search of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Up to 11 aircraft and 12 ships continue to scan the ocean surface for debris from the Boeing 777 that disappeared March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. (AP Photo/Australian Defense Force, Bradley Darvill) EDITORIAL USE ONLY (17 Apr 2013)
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APPHOTO XPER107: In this map provided on Sunday, April 20, 2014, by the Joint Agency Coordination Centre details are presented in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean. Up to 11 aircraft and 12 ships continue to scan the ocean surface for debris from the Boeing 777 that disappeared March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. (AP Photo/Joint Agency Coordination Centre) EDITORIAL USE ONLY (20 Apr 2014)
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APPHOTO XPER108: In this map provided on Sunday, April 20, 2014, by the Joint Agency Coordination Centre details are presented in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean. Up to 11 aircraft and 12 ships continue to scan the ocean surface for debris from the Boeing 777 that disappeared March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. (AP Photo/Joint Agency Coordination Centre) EDITORIAL USE ONLY (20 Apr 2014)
<<APPHOTO XPER108 (04/20/14)££
APPHOTO XPER109: In this map provided on Sunday, April 20, 2014, by the Joint Agency Coordination Centre details are presented in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean. Up to 11 aircraft and 12 ships continue to scan the ocean surface for debris from the Boeing 777 that disappeared March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. (AP Photo/Joint Agency Coordination Centre) EDITORIAL USE ONLY (20 Apr 2014)
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