New | Relatives of MH370 know exactly what it's like
Families of the still-lost flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March stayed up all last night, chatting to one another in light of the new tragedy
The tragedy of Malaysia Airlines flight 17 (MH17) in Ukraine recalled some of the worst memories of relatives of people aboard Malaysia Airlines flight 370 (MH370), which disappeared on March 8 going from from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing.
When news arrived that MH17 – going from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to Kuala Lumpur – had crashed near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine after being hit by a surface-to-air missile, many MH370 relatives stayed up all night and discussed their tragedy in their WeChat group.
“The back of my head felt numb. I could not believe that another tragedy had happened to a Malaysia Airlines flight,” said Bai Jie.
She first heard the news of MH17’s through one of her smartphone applications at 11.15pm. She then switched on her TV and joined the WeChat group discussion with other MH370 relatives.
Apart from the shock, most of them agreed that they would like to help the MH17 relatives communicating with the airline and giving moral support, Bai said.
“To some extent, the MH17 relatives are a bit luckier than we are. At least they have closure and know where the passengers are,” she said. “To us, it’s still a mystery where our loved ones are. Our torture and fear continue every day. “