KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — Just a month shy of the one-year anniversary of Flight MH370's disappearance, a small band of family members of the missing passengers have crossed thousands of kilometres from China to Malaysia in a desperate bid for answers.

Unhappy with Malaysia's declaration last month that the plane was an accident with no survivors, around 15 of them arrived here late last night with questions over the flight for which no evidence of its fate has been found.

Dressed in red shirts printed with the words "Pray for MH370", they have not forgotten even as international attention has died down over what is viewed as a mystery in aviation history.

"Who can tell us what happened? Please help us! Come back MH370," read a placard, summing up their emotional plea.

For a distraught Zhong Hui Jun, 56, she firmly believed that her daughter and daughter-in-law – part of the 153 Chinese passengers – were not dead.

"They are still alive. My daughter says 'Mum, please save me'. I am unable (to save)," the Henan native from China told reporters as she broke down in tears.

Zhong, who insisted on turning down any monetary compensation from airline Malaysia Airlines (MAS), is part of the first batch of the next-of-kin from China to set foot here this year.

She said the group wants to meet the management of MAS and the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), with the latter making the declaration of accident that they have deemed unacceptable.

Zhang Jian Yi, a man who had three relatives on MH370, told reporters that the group would use "legal" means to protest.

Saying that they intend to gather outside the MAS office, the 59-year-old man confirmed that there will be additional families of MH370 passengers arriving.

Another, Wen Wan Cheng, 63, spoke about plans to camp outside the MAS office.

They are prepared to wait in Malaysia for as long as it takes to seek answers and are even ready to spend the lunar Chinese New Year here – traditionally a time where relatives would gather in hometowns.

Kelly Wen, whose husband Li was on the flight, said the families will seek an audience with the chief executive of MAS.

Wen, who has been in Malaysia for over a month and was the sole China kin available during the DCA's planned announcement, downplayed the option of protest.

While later confirming the plans to set up camp outside MAS' office, Wen also indicated that the drastic measure was mooted by the China kin out of anxiety.

"They are too anxious. Those on the plane are their only children," she said, referring to China's policy of allowing parents to only have one child.

"Actually I don't wish that we use demonstrations to solve problems. We are here, we hope MAS can tell us what we want to know," she said, alleging that a lack of transparency could have led to misunderstandings.

Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8 last year, dropping off radar coverage not long after taking off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport en-route to Beijing.

There were 239 passengers and crew on board the plane that remains missing till today, with no indication as to its resting place despite months of searching.