Families of the 239 people on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on Sunday marked the anniversary of the plane’s disappearance, vowing to never give up on the desperate search for wreckage and answers to the world’s biggest aviation mystery.
Several dozen relatives gathered at the main Buddhist temple in central Beijing, some of them wearing T-shirts reading “Never Give Up. Search On.” A swarm of security closely watched the relatives and stopped them from entering the sprawling grounds. Since the plane’s disappearance, Chinese security have tightened their watch over the relatives, especially after some began criticizing the Chinese government’s response to the incident.
“We want to show our determination,” said Jiang Hui, whose mother was aboard the flight. “We are here to pray for our loved ones and we hope they can come back and the truth will come out as soon as possible.”
She said that without concrete evidence she and other relatives will never accept the conclusion of the Malaysian authorities that the passengers are dead.
In Kuala Lumpur, Voice 370, a support group for the kin of those on board, will host a “Day of Remembrance” at a mall. Later Sunday, the Malaysian government will release an interim investigation report, a requirement under international civil aviation regulations.
Grace Subathirai Nathan, whose mother Anne Daisy was on the plane, said Sunday’s events were important “to highlight to the public that we still don’t have any answers and that we must pursue the search.”