The Afghan data leak has reignited a campaign by bereaved families to finally be given answers about the deaths of their loved ones. The families of those killed in the 1994 Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash have seen a surge in support in the wake of revelations about the data leak, with one campaigner saying it shows the public are “sick of cover-ups and secrecy” at the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

All 29 military and intelligence personnel on board RAF Chinook ZD576 were killed when the aircraft crashed en route from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness on June 2, 1994. The bereaved families have called for a judge-led inquiry into the incident, which was initially blamed on pilot error before this was overturned in 2011. Andy Tobias, who was eight when his father, Lt Col John Tobias, was killed in the crash, said: “Clearly, we have touched a nerve with the British public who are sick of cover-ups and secrecy at the MoD.

“Like many other families – from Hillsborough to sub-postmasters, the infected blood scandal to nuclear veterans and MOD helicopter cancer victims, and now Afghan families – we should not have to fight tooth and nail for truth, transparency and justice from the Government.

“That’s why we are calling for a legal duty of candour. Enough is enough.”

Following an appeal by Mr Tobias, former defence secretary Sir Liam Fox has agreed to meet the bereaved families to discuss the matter.

Chris Cook, whose pilot brother Rick was killed in the 1994 crash, said: “This Afghan cover-up shows that the MoD hasn’t just lost its moral compass but has managed to avoid all democratic accountability and scrutiny.

“It hid this data leak from the very people who are meant to keep it in line – the Intelligence and Security Committee, which had a legal right to see the intelligence assessments.”

A petition calling for an inquiry saw a surge in support last week after campaigners took to social media to criticise efforts to cover up the leak of thousands of names of Afghans who had helped UK troops, which they said was another case of the MOD “covering up its own mess”.

He added: “The MOD has become the Ministry of Deceit. It lies, it obfuscates and it squirrels away its mistakes until it is found out – just as it has with the MOD crash.

“It took us 16 years to clear my brother’s name, and all that time the MOD claimed information didn’t exist – until we found it and then they questioned how we got the information.

“The trouble with this whole case over 31 years, and so many other MOD cases – the helicopter cancer cases, the nuclear vets, is that so much information has been suppressed.

“It seems that the Ministry of Deceit is unable to uphold the values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality which they expect our armed forces to serve with.

“It’s time for truth and transparency at the MOD and it’s time for the Prime Minister to step in and clear up the MOD’s many outstanding cases of deception, with a legal duty of candour imposed.”

In a social media post, the Chinook Justice group said: “#Coverup appears to be the mantra of the British state… with the MoD at the centre of it. Again.”

In the wake of the Afghan data leak being made public, the group’s campaign for a judicial review saw the number of signatories double in the space of eight hours to more than 22,000.

The Ministry of Defence has been approached for comment.