DPA

Paris, Jun 13: Family members of the 216 passengers on board the ill-fated Air France Flight 447 could claim hundreds of millions of dollars in damages in the near future for their tragic losses.

Le Monde newspaper Friday reported that a consortium of insurance companies, including Allianz, Axa, Swiss Re and others, could offer at least $330 million in the near future.

If the courts got involved, that total could reach $750 million, but it could take years for such a large sum to be approved.

The 216 passengers were insured through Air France. For the 12 crew members, the crash June 1 into the chilly Atlantic waters off of Brazil is considered a work-related accident, Le Monde reported.

For the loss of the Airbus 330-200, pieces of which are strewn for miles across the ocean, Air France is to receive 67.4 million euros ($94.5 million).

The question of which insurance company will pay the damages will only be decided after the investigation into what caused the accident. To date, 44 bodies have been found.