Mourning For MH17 Goes Viral

Thousands take to social media to mourn

It has only been 4 months since we were hearing the tragic news of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 that went missing on its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing after losing contact with air traffic control. After weeks of frantic searching for the missing flight, it was presumed lost and the 239 passengers inside the flight, were presumed dead.

Now MH17 - another Malaysia Airlines flight - has become the social media talking point of a grieving nation who are again finding themselves asking just what went on.

Malaysia Airlines faced strong criticism back in March about the handling of the MH370 case in terms of its handling of the victims families. Hundreds of families were left panicked and uncertain about the status of their loved ones. Many of the families complained that the investigations into the incident - which was gathering more and more online interest as time dragged on - were mismanaged and that the public was frequently left in the dark regarding developments in the case.

Flight MH370 is still very much a mystery for many and families are still left uncertain of their loved one's whereabouts, so imagine the shock and, more interestingly, the intrigue when another airborne tragedy occurs with another Malaysia Airlines plane, MH17.

MH17, which tragically crashed in Eastern Ukraine on Thursday after being apparently 'shot down' according to Ukraine PM, Petro Poroshenko, has no doubt brought fresh pain to hundreds of families both in Malaysia and across the world while also bringing new speculation towards the MH370 mystery.

Source: globalnews.ca

The plane crashed East of Ukraine on its flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur - interestingly the same destination doomed MH370 took off from - near to the site where separatist rebels have been engaging Ukrainian military forces in the weeks before.

Since the news of the crash on Thursday, the tragedy has been trending with the hashtag #MH17. Consonances have flooded in from across the world on Twitter and tributes have been made to those who perished on the flight.

This latest tragedy has been the start of a grieving process of most but for some, like Australian woman, Kaylee Mann, it is another painful and tragic addition to her existing heartache. She lost her brother on the March flight, MH370 and has now also lost her stepdaughter on flight MH17.

Source: cbc.ca

The MH17 crash killed all of the 298 passengers and crew on board and while remains are still being found and identified, it is thought that the flight contained 173 Dutch, 27 Australians, 44 Malaysians (including all 15 of the crew), 12 Indonesians and 9 Britons.While the remaining number included Germans, Belgians, Canadians and also passengers from the Philippines.

To add to the poignancy of the crash, families from the failed March flight MH370 have come out to give their sympathies to the grieving families. Zhang Hongjie, whose wife was on MH370, said "I feel so sorry for the passengers and their relatives."

Amongst the tragedy, there was one couple who were left feeling a huge sense of relief and sheer luck. They were due to take the MH17 flight but didn't manage to get on the flight as it was fully booked. When asked about their lucky escape, they said it was like "something was watching over us."

Julie Bundy

Hi my name is Julie! Fresh out of university studying journalism, I love to have a good laugh and I believe in always keeping an open mind. In my spare time, if you don't catch me between two pages of a book, you'll most likely find me in front of the computer or the TV! I also like to make cakes if I have the time (and the ingredients!)... or as my friends like to call them, Bundy Buns. Make sure you follow me @JulieAtSMF.

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