Relatives of Boeing crash victims urge US judge to reject plea deal

Investigators examine wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crash (Mulugeta Ayene/AP)

Lawyers for relatives of people killed in Boeing Max crashes have asked a US judge to reject a plea agreement that the aircraft maker struck with prosecutors, saying it is too lenient and lets the company avoid accountability for causing 346 deaths.

Some of the lawyers argued that the Justice Department is treating Boeing lightly because the firm is a major contractor to the US government.