KUALA LUMPUR: Today declared as a day of mourning by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for the 193 Dutch victims onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
The Netherlands ambassador to Malaysia Harry Molenaar said a one minute silence will be observed when the plane carrying the remains of victims arrives at Eindhoven airport at 4pm local time (11pm Malaysian time).
Tributes also came from football club Newcastle United for its two special fans who were onboard the flight. John Alder, 63, and Liam Sweeney, 28, were life-long fans who were travelling to join the club’s pre-season tour in New Zealand.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew and captain Fabricio Collocini laid wreaths in honour of Alder and Sweeney prior to the kickoff of their first pre-season match. Fans applauded in the 28th minute and 63rd minute of the match as a mark of respect.
Other tributes for flight MH17 poured in through social media, the most apparent and heartwarming coming from airlines and cabin crew the world over.
Facebook page ‘A Fly Guy’s Cabin Crew Lounge’ gathers messages of support from cabin crew around the world who share the pain of the tragedy.
The photos called “Letters of Love” include those from airlines based in USA, Jordan, Myanmar, Ireland, Columbia, Berlin, Qatar, South Africa, Singapore, India, Mauritius and countless others whose thoughts and prayers go out to Malaysia Airlines and MH17.
One of the messages from Avianca Airlines in Columbia reads “A person that departs from this earth never truly leaves, for they are still alive in our hearts and minds, through us, they live on. Please accept our condolences. MH17 and MH370 will not be forgotten”.
Another Facebook page called ‘MH17’ posts tributes to victims and updates on the ongoing investigation surrounding the crash.
Photos of victims are regularly uploaded on this page which has garnered more than 25,000 likes, inviting countless messages of support from the local and international public.
Twitter is also not devoid of tributes for the ill-fated aircraft. Hashtags such as #MH17, #prayforMH17 and #justiceforMH17 have flooded the micro-blogging site since the day the aircraft was shot down.
User Min Dzulkiflee tweeted “Keep praying for them #PrayForMH17.”
Another user Sid Razali said “We’ve been through difficult times before, and we can do it again. We stand united for #MyMH17 #PrayForMH17.”
Even local celebrities share the nation’s pain, uniting in giving condolences to the victims’ families and Malaysia Airlines.
Actress Sharifah Amani tweeted “In You we trust Beloved. Lighten our burdens. Strengthen our faith. #PrayForMH17 #PrayForGaza.”
Another celebrity Mizz Nina tweeted “Innalilahi wa innailaihi rajioon, my prayer & condolences goes out to all the victims and family #PrayForMH17.”
-NST
