[PHOTOS] Netherlands Honours The Lost Loved Ones Of MH17 During Dutch Memorial Day
In memory of a carefree 'see you later' that quickly became an abrupt 'farewell'.
By Sadho Ram — 11 Nov 2014, 04:07 AM — Updated about 10 years ago
On Monday, 10 November 2014 — less than four months after the shooting down of MH17 on 17 July 2014 — families and friends of the 298 victims of MH17 paid tribute to their loved ones at a national commemoration ceremony in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Children place flowers during a commemoration ceremony for relatives and friends of the victims of the MHI7
Image via telegraph.co.ukSuch is the impact of the MH17 crash that 17 July 2014 is often referred to as the Netherlands' 9/11, with families all having agonising stories, intensified by the crash site being in a conflict zone. Of the 298 victims, 196 were from the Netherlands.
The ceremony saw over 1,600 relatives and friends gathered in a conference center in the Dutch capital. There, in a sober and serene setting, relatives and dignitaries sat side-by-side in a circle and 298 candles were lighted to represent all the MH17 victims.
Relatives and friends of the victims of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disaster attend a commemoration ceremony in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Image via wsj.netDuring the ceremony, relatives read the victims' names in a moving tribute. Some gave a speech or recited a poem in which they expressed grief and anger but also gratitude to the rescue workers who have supported them in the wake of the crash.
Relatives and friends of the victims of the MH17 disaster attend a commemoration ceremony at RAI in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Image via mcclatchyinteractive.comActor Bram van der Vlugt reads out names of MH17 victims in front of a list of the names projected on a screen during the ceremony
Dutch PM Mark Rutte summed up the families' grief at losing their loved ones so suddenly, adding: "we didn't know each other but we are partners in misfortune and we stare out the window"
"On July 17, 2014, a carefree 'see you later' became an abrupt 'farewell.' Just like that, the children and grandchildren, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, grandmas and grandpas, husbands, wives and friends aboard flight MH17 were gone on a journey, never to return."
telegraph.co.ukGita Wiegel, a 13-year-old girl, recalled cuddling her mother at Schiphol before she boarded the MAS Flight MH17
Gita Wiegel a relative of a victim of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 disaster attend a national commemoration ceremony at RAI on November 10, 2014 in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Image via Jasper Juinen (GETTY)“The idea I would have to miss her for four weeks was terrible,” she said. “But this, this is far more terrible. The last SMS I got from her was: ‘See you in four weeks, darling. Take good care of yourself.’”
theguardian.com
The ceremony was attended by Dutch King Willem Alexander and Queen Máxima and scores of public officials from the Netherlands and other countries that lost citizens in the MH17 disaster
Queen Maxima (L) and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands attend a national memorial with relatives of the victims of Malaysian Airlines MH17, at the RAI convention center in Amsterdam
Image via independent.ieAcross the Netherlands, flags were flying at half-mast at government buildings. Seen here is the Dutch flag flying at half mast above the first chamber in The Hague, the Netherlands.
