14 DAY TRIAL // This past Thursday, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 went missing close to the city of Donetsk in Ukraine. Shortly after, it was revealed that the plane had crashed in the country's east, not far from the border with Russia.
Recent news concerning this tragic incident says a total of 298 people lost their lives in the crash. By the looks of it, three of the victims were mere infants who failed to be included in initial death toll reports.
Information shared with the public says the plane was traveling from Amsterdam to Malaysia. HIV/AIDS researchers who were on their way to a conference in Australia are believed to have also been aboard it.
For the time being, neither Russia nor Ukraine have assumed responsibility for the crash. However, reports say there is evidence to suggest the flight crashed after being hit by a missile. The origin of the missile is still a mystery.
The Guardian tells us that, according to a recording allegedly obtained and released by secret services in Ukraine, pro-Russian rebels are the ones to blame for the crash. Rumor has it the plane was attacked after being mistaken for a military aircraft.
Oddly enough, it looks like one of the passengers aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 joked about the possibility that the aircraft could disappear just hours before he and his girlfriend lost their lives in the incident.
The man, identified as Cor Pan from the Netherlands, posted a photo of the plane on Facebook just before he and his girlfriend boarded it. The image was accompanied by the following message: “Should it disappear, this is what it looks like.”
According to the same source, it did not take long for Cor Pan's and girlfriend Neeltje Tol's friends to figure out that the plane whose photo the man shared on Facebook was the same as the one that crashed in Ukraine.
Shortly after, the man's profile was flooded by comments like, “Such a lovely life taken away,” “His last joke... and then this happened... too weird for words... everyone pretty much strength and power wished,” and “Sending strength to his family.” The photo has until now been shared over 22,000 times.
Of the people who died in this accident, 173 were from the Netherlands, 44 from Malaysia, 27 from Australia, 12 from Indonesia, 9 from the United Kingdom, 4 from Germany, 4 from Belgium, 3 from the Philippines, 1 from Canada, and 1 from New Zealand. The nationalities of the remaining victims are yet to be disclosed.