SYDNEY: The first funeral service for passengers from a missing Malaysian jetliner will be held in Australia this weekend, nearly eight weeks after the plane disappeared and apparently crashed in the remote southern Indian Ocean.

Despite the most intensive air, sea and underwater search in commercial aviation history, no trace of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has been found since it vanished on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8.

Family and friends of Rod and Mary Burrows, two of six Australians on board the flight, will be holding a formal memorial in Brisbane on Sunday, according to a statement on behalf of the family released by police on Friday. "Family and friends send their appreciation for the well wishes from the media and public but ask for privacy and request their solitude be respected during this difficult time."

Relatives of those on board, mostly from China, have repeatedly expressed their anger and frustration at the lack of information and evidence about the loss of their loved ones. Malaysia Airlines urged families in Kuala Lumpur to return home, saying they would be kept informed, and paid early compensation. AGENCIES

