Families Of Ill-Fated MH17 And MH370 Saddened By Flight QZ8501 Tragedy

By Rosmalis Anuar KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 31 (Bernama) -- They may have lost their own loved ones but the families and next-of-kin of the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH17 and MH370 still came forward to offer their condolences to the families of the ill-fated AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501 that was reported to have crashed in the Java SEA. Wan Aini Wan Hussin, 61, the sister Capt Wan Amran Wan Hussin who was the pilot of MH17 which was shot down in Ukraine while on its way to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, said she was saddened by the fate of the AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501 and hoped the families of the passengers can stay strong the face the tragedy. "When I heard of the tragedy involving the AirAsia flight, my feeling was similar to when I heard about the MH17 tragedy. It is really sad because I have gone through a similar situation...the families must accept the destiny and be strong," she told Bernama, when contacted here Tuesday. Mohd Zaki Md Salim, 38, the brother MH17 passenger Mohd Ali Md Salim, said he too could feel and understand the sorrow of the families who lost their loved ones in the flight QZ8501 tragedy. "I was in a similar situation before and know how painful it is...I just cannot express my grief but I hope they (families) accept the destiny of their loved ones," said Mohd Zaki. Selamat Omar, 60, the father of Mohd Khairul Azmi, a passenger on board flight MH370 which disappeared mysteriously, said he was saddened by the events that led to the fate suffered by flight QZ8501 and its passengers. He said though it is sad because families had lost their loved ones, at least the flight QZ8501 has been found, unlike the MH370 which has yet to be found since it was reported missing on March 8. "In principle, families of the flight QZ8501 tragedy are 'more fortunate' than those who suffered a similar fate when flight MH370 was reported missing and till today there is no news," said Selamat. Maira Elizabeth Nari, the daughter of the MH370 crew, Andrew Nari, through her twitter account also offered her condolences after hearing about the flight QZ8501 tragedy. "My deepest condolences to the family of QZ8501 crew and passengers. I have no idea what other words that can comfort you, but stay strong," said Maira. Sharing her sentiment was Intan Maizura Othman, 34, the wife of another MH370 crew, Mohd Hazrin Hasnan. "Dear all, pray pray and pray...sorry for your lost," she said in her Twitter account. AirAsia Indonesia has acknowledged that debris found earlier Tuesday was indeed from missing Flight QZ8501, as confirmed by the National Search and Rescue Agency Republic of Indonesia (Basarnas). In a statement, the airline said the debris of the Airbus A320-200 aircraft was found in the Karimata Strait, about 110 nautical miles south west from Pangkalan Bun in Central Kalimantan. AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 went missing on Sunday morning while flying 155 passengers and seven crew from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore. Those on board the missing flight comprise 155 Indonesians, three South Koreans, a Singaporean, a Malaysian, a Briton and a French. Flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17 as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers and 15 crew on board. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft was believed to have been shot down over the troubled country. Besides Malaysians, nationals from the Netherlands, Australia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the Philippines, Canada and New Zealand were among the 298 passengers and crew on board. Flight MH370 meanwhile, dropped off radar on March 8 as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board. The Boeing 777 aircraft has yet to be found, even after an exhaustive search in the southern Indian Ocean where it is believed to have gone down after veering off course. -- BERNAMA