BEIJING (The Star/Asia News Network) - Family members of the passengers on flight MH370 in Beijing, who have been thirsting for information about the fate of their missing loved ones, stayed through four hours of a no-holds-barred briefing that answered their queries.

Among others, they were given information on the serial number of the black box on the Boeing 777 aircraft and the voice recording of the communication between the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) plane and air traffic control.

It was revealed, in one of the slides presented to the families, that the serial number of the flight data recorder (FDR) was 08636, while that of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was 2677.

The morning and afternoon briefing at the Lido Hotel here yesterday followed repeated requests from the Chinese families for the disclosure of pertinent facts about the crisis.

The briefing team, comprising representatives from MAS, the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and the Malaysian Embassy here, gave a rundown on the aircraft's contacts with the Inmarsat satellite and the chronology of events that led to the disappearance of the plane and other details.

"Hopefully, future sessions will be held in a similar fashion, with the team providing more information to us. This way we can establish a stronger mutual trust," Mr Steve Wang, a member of one affected family, told The Star.

Mr Wang said the next of kin requested for technical information that could be revealed without jeopardising the ongoing investigations.

The briefing session between the team and the families continues today.