Relatives of MH17 dead cling to memories of loved ones as they grieve
Those who knew victims recall their cherished moments and last interactions with them
Malaysian Airlines flight attendant Sanjid Singh was not scheduled to work on doomed Flight MH17, but had swapped duties with a colleague - just months after his wife, also an attendant, switched shifts to avoid Flight MH370, which went missing.
The contrasting twists of fate make up just one of hundreds of poignant stories triggering a nationwide outpouring of grief in Malaysia and other countries whose citizens were affected by the tragedy.
Flight MH370 vanished in March with 239 passengers and crew members en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries.
Sanjid Singh was one of the victims on board MH17, which was downed on Thursday.
"He told us recently that he swapped with a colleague for the return Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight. He always called us before he left for his trips," his father, Jijar Singh, 71, told the Malaysian Insider news website. "Sanjid's wife was meant to fly on MH370 but had swapped with another colleague at the last minute."
An entire family of six was returning home to Malaysia after three years in Kazakhstan. The family's head, Tambi Jiee, 49, was keen to celebrate Hari Raya, the end of the Muslim fasting month, at home before reporting for work in a new posting.