I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the tragedy that has befallen the families of the passengers aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Brought down on Thursday, July 17th, by a surface-to-air missile attack, the flight was carrying 298 passengers from Amsterdam, heading to Kuala Lumpur. The strike brought down the Boeing 777 just over the Ukraine onto a country road. Sadly, there were no survivors among the 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board. The victims included 192 Dutch, 29 Malaysians, 28 Australians, 12 Indonesians, 10 Britons, four Germans, four Belgians, three Vietnamese, three Filipinos and one person each from the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Hong Kong.
At this time, President Obama has called for an international investigation, saying the U.S. has offered support from the FBI and NTSB. However, it is largely believed the cause stems from a strike originating from a rebel-held area near the Ukrainian/Russian border. Despite the speculation, the Ukraine’s government, pro-Russia rebels, and Russia have all denied their involvement. But the investigation has only just begun and conclusions remain to be seen.
This awful occurrence comes just months after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which was scheduled from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, with a devastating loss of 227 passengers and 12 crew members from 14 different nations.
As the world watches in awe as this story unfolds, my heart goes out to the victims and their families. And I pray that there is an end to the senseless violence that continues to become an all-too-common occurrence.
I leave you with the latest coverage on this horrible tragedy.
