KINIBIZ With the tragic disappearance of MH370 in March as yet unresolved, another Malaysian Airlines (MAS) flight has met with catastrophe. Either one of MH370 or MH17 tragedies would have been heartbreaking enough for a lifetime but to have both happen within 132 days of each other is surely unprecedented for any airline.

News of MH17’s crash near Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine last night, with no survivors, means Malaysian Airlines has seen over 500 lives lost across two incidents in just over four months.

Unlike the strange disappearance of MH370 on March 8 and the fruitless outcome of the largest search effort of its kind in history in the aftermath, however, what happened last night was clear-cut.

The plane full of innocent civilians was shot down with a surface-to-air missile while passing through a conflict zone, according to officials from various nations, who pretty much lay the blame on pro-Russian separatists who have denied responsibility.

Just like that, innocent lives were gone. There was a family of six from Kuching, looking forward to a new beginning in Malaysia after years abroad. There was the Dutch couple looking forward to a Malaysian holiday experience. And there were infants, dozens of children, whose lives have just begun with so much promise for the future, only to be snuffed out by a misguided missile.

Heart-wrenching images on social media by those who got to the crash site soon after showed numerous passports and lifeless bodies whose lives were stolen from them. One particular stand-out image was that of a child, still strapped to the plane seat, dead.

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This article was written by Khairie Hisyam.