[PHOTOS] The Passengers And Crew Of MH17: Gone But Not Forgotten
Each and every one of the 298 people onboard Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 had something to look forward to - an adventure, returning home, a career. This is the story of who they were and how they ended up on the ill-fated flight.
There were 298 people onboard MAS flight MH17. There were 154 Dutch citizens, 43 Malaysians, 27 Australians, 12 Indonesians, 9 British, 4 Germans, 4 Belgians, 3 Filipinos and 1 Canadian. The rest have yet to be determined.
The pilot of MH17, Captain Wan Amran Wan Hussin, 50, had been flying aircraft for more than 20 years. The father of two wanted to perform the Haj later this year.
"He expressed his intention to his elder sister Wan Aini, when he returned to his village in Kota Lama Kiri, Kuala Kangsar, Perak to break fast with relatives last week," said Wan Amran's nephew, Amaluddin Noorshah, 48.
freemalaysiatoday.com"I felt a difference in the tone of his voice when he said that. I learnt from a family WhatsApp network about what happened. All of us felt a weakness spread through our bodies when we found out that Wan Amran was the pilot of that ill-fated flight," he said.
freemalaysiatoday.comAmaluddin said his uncle had been piloting Boeing aircraft for more than 20 years. "He was very close to his siblings and contributed much to charity. His wife and two sons live in Shah Alam," he added.
bernama.comAmongst the other 14 crew members were co-pilot Eugene Choo, stewardess Angeline Premila and Azrina Yakob
The list shows the two captains on the plane were Wan Amran Bin Wan Hussin, 50, and Eugene Choo Jin Leong, 45.
dailymail.co.ukAngeline Premila, who is named last on the list, was reportedly a stewardess on the flight. One friend, Mohammad Mohaimeen Rashid, shared the 30-year-old's photo on Facebook and wrote: "You didn't die, you just will be flying higher. Rest in peace".
dailymail.co.ukBefore boarding MH17, stewardess Shazana Salleh told her family that she would return on the first day of Hari Raya. She wanted them to wait for her before they visit the graves of departed relatives.
The Penang-born Malaysia Airlines (MAS) staff was among the 15 crew and 280 passengers on board the flight MH17.
themalaysianinsider.comHer father, Mohamed Salleh Shamsuddin, 54, said he last communicated with his daughter via WhatsApp some 24 hours before the ill-fated flight took off from Amsterdam.
thestar.com.my"She asked me for a photo of my grandchild because she said she missed him. She also requested for a copy of me and my wife's MyKad," he said
thestar.com.myMohd Salleh said it was always Nur Shazana's dream to be an air stewardess and travel the world. "She went through so many interviews to finally land this job," said the 54-year-old man. She had been with the airline for the last nine years.
themalaysianinsider.comHer family, however, is still clinging on to all the hopes they have. Mohamed Salleh said they would not accept that Nur Shazana is dead until there is a confirmation by MAS and the Federal Government, and until they see her body.
thestar.com.myA family of six from Kuching returning from Kazakhstan to celebrate Hari Raya with their family was looking forward to returning to Malaysia for good
Tambi Jiee, 49, from Kampung Gobielt, was with his wife Ariza Ghazalee, 47, and four children - Mohd Afif, 19, Mohd Afzal, 17, Marsha Azmeena, 15, and Mohd Afruz, 13.
thestar.com.myThe family was returning from Kazakhstan, where Tambi, a Shell employee, had been working for about three years. Their eldest was a student at Taylor's College in Kuala Lumpur while the three other children were studying in Kazakhstan.
malaysiaedition.netThe family was coming back to Malaysia for good. Tambi had been transferred to Shell's Malaysia headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and before reporting to work in the nation's capital, he was coming home to celebrate Hari Raya, according to Ariza's mother Jamillah Noriah Abg Anuar.
thestar.com.myShe said she was excited about their scheduled arrival at the Kuching International Airport at 2pm on Friday.
thestar.com.myPrior to boarding MH17, Ariza Ghazalee, 47, the mother of four uploaded photos of their packed bags on Facebook and Twitter
Sharleeza Zaini, her Dutch husband and their three children were also onboard the flight MH17. Her mother, Datin Siti Dina discovered that her daughter's flight had been shot down when watching CNN.
Datin Siti Dina said her daughter Sherleeza Zaini, her Dutch husband and their three children were on board MH17.
yahoo.com"They were on their way back to Melbourne, where they live, and were expected to transit in Malaysia. I was at home watching CNN last night when I saw the reports of MH17 being shot down," she said.
yahoo.comShe said her daughter had informed her that she was on the flight back from Amsterdam bound for Kuala Lumpur. "They had gone to the Netherlands to visit her husband's relatives and family members," she added.
themalaysianinsider.comSanjid Singh, the one-and-only son of Jijar Singh swapped himself onto flight MH17 at the very last minute, only months after his wife saved her own life by swapping herself off the flight MH370
Sanjid Singh's last minute decision to board Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 has devastated his family. The father of the steward, 71-year-old Jijar Singh, sobbed as he said he was eager to see his youngest child and only son after the flight.
dailymail.co.uk"He always called us before he leaves for his trip. Sanjid's wife was meant to fly on MH370 but swapped with another colleague at the last minute."
msn.com"We are heartbroken because he was our only son. What to do? What has happened, has happened. He was supposed to come here at noon after he returns from Amsterdam this morning. His mother had prepared all his favourite dishes," he said with a trembling voice.
themalaysianinsider.comElaine Teoh, 27, a Melbourne University student has also been confirmed as a passenger onboard the plane. She was on a Euro trip to Portugal and Holland prior boarding the MH17 plane.
Before boarding MH17, Teoh, who was on a Euro trip to Portugal and Holland, was staying in Melbourne, where she studied at the University of Melbourne.
therakyatpost.comAccording to her former classmate at a secondary school in Subang Jaya, who wanted to be remain anonymous, Teoh had a splendid and bubbly personality, and her smile always brightened the day of those beside her (Teoh). “She is a ‘beauty with brains’ as she has always excelled in everything that she did, since her schooling days,” she said.
therakyatpost.comCor Pan from Netherlands jokingly posted a picture of the Boeing 777 on his Facebook account moments before boarding with the caption: "If it disappears, this is what it looks like." He was with his girlfriend, Neeltje Tol.
A haunting photograph of flight MH17 is believed to have been posted on Facebook by a Dutch passenger just moments before he boarded the doomed plane.
dailymail.co.ukCor Pan, who is listed on Facebook as living in Volendam in North Holland, uploaded the picture of the aircraft with the caption: "If it disappears, this is what it looks like."
dailymail.co.ukTheir posts also suggested that he was on board the plane with his girlfriend Neeltje Tol.
dailymail.co.ukAn Australian couple, Albert and Marie Rizk who have two children were believed to have missed an earlier flight and ended up on MH17. They were among the 27 Australian victims.
Authorities have now confirmed nine passengers were from Victoria, nine from Queensland, seven from Western Australia, one from NSW and one from ACT.
yahoo.com"He and his wife Maree were both on the flight," Hume City Councillor Jack Ogilvie told AAP. "Last night I was talking to his son, James, and I said when are Albert and Maree coming back? He said they are on the flight and they'll be home tomorrow ... but they just didn't make it."
yahoo.comMr Rizk, a local real estate agent, and his wife, who have two children, were due to return home from Europe today after spending a month abroad on holidays. The couple have two children.
news.com.auThe company website notes Mr Rizk had spent more than 25 years selling real estate in the region, and he was regarded as one of Raine and Horne's top 10 agents across Australia.
yahoo.comJoep Lange, former president of the International AIDS Society from Holland was on his way to the AIDS conference in Melbourne. The AIDS society says the HIV/AIDS movement has "truly lost a giant".
Among the passengers was former president of the International AIDS Society Joep Lange, a well-known HIV researcher from the Netherlands, opposition leader Bill Shorten said in parliament.
firstpost.com"There are Australians who would have planned to be at the airport tomorrow night to greet friends and family — amongst them, some of the world's leading AIDS experts," Shorten said. "The cost of this will be felt in many parts of the world."
firstpost.comChris Beyrer, president-elect of the International AIDS Society, said if reports of Lange's death were true, "then the HIV/AIDS movement has truly lost a giant."
firstpost.comUp to 100 delegates onboard flight MH17 were also en route to Melbourne to attend the 20th International AIDS conference, which commences on Sunday, 20 July 2014
Nobel laureate Dr. Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, co-discoverer of the AIDS virus and president of the International AIDS Society said that the conference would continue out of respect for the lives lost: "Because we know that it's really what they would like us to do."
firstpost.comFormer U.S. President Bill Clinton will deliver an address at next week's AIDS conference, which brings together thousands of scientists and activists from around the world to discuss the latest developments in HIV and AIDS research.
firstpost.comNick Norris and his three grandchildren were returning home to Australia after a month-long holiday in Europe
Perth man Nick Norris and his three grandchildren were among seven West Australians on the Malaysia Airlines flight. Mr Norris was a well-known member of the South Perth Yacht Club, according to reports. His grandchildren were believed to be aged 8, 10 and 12.
yahoo.comIn a statement released at shortly before noon, WA Premier Barnett said he was "horrified and deeply shocked" by the apparent missile attack. "At this stage reports do seem to indicate that the plane was shot down by terrorists and, if so, this is a truly unspeakable and incomprehensible act," he said.
yahoo.comMeanwhile, Barry and Izzy Sim cheated death after they were bumped off MH17. During check-in, airline officials told them there were not enough of seats on the plane.
Barry and Izzy Sim were planning to travel to Kuala Lumpur with their young baby but were told by staff at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport that there were not enough seats on the plane.
dailymail.co.ukMrs Sim said that there 'must have been someone watching over' them as they were switched to a later KLM flight - just hours before MH17 was shot down in an 'act of terrorism'.
dailymail.co.ukThe couple, who described themselves as loyal customers of Malaysia Airlines, said they were "so glad" not to have been put on the plane
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph about his reaction to the crash, Mr Sim, from Scotland, said: "You get this sick feeling in the pit of your stomach… We started getting butterflies. Your heartbeat starts going. There must have been someone watching over us and saying 'you must not get on that flight'."
malaysiaedition.net"We are very loyal to Malaysia Airlines and we always want to fly with Malaysia Airlines." Mrs. Sim added that her husband usually disliked flying with KLM.
telegraph.co.uk"But do you know what, at this moment we are so glad to be on that KLM flight rather than that Malaysia Airlines flight," she said.
telegraph.co.ukAccording to Malaysia Airlines, the full passenger list has yet to be released
Malaysia Airlines says it will release the full list of the names of those who perished on board flight MH17 once all next of kin are notified.
mirror.co.uk