One year ago today, disaster took hold of the world once again. News reports emerged of a ‘missing’ plane, lost above the war-torn region of Donetsk, Ukraine.
The Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 was on a flight path from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was surmised that the plane had crashed on 17 July 2014. The disaster saw the lives of 298 innocent victims lost, as the plane – with 38 Australians aboard, was driven into the ground by a BUK missile.
Contentious still, is who was responsible for the missile. To this day, the global finger pointing continues, with Russia blaming Ukrainian forces for the attack, and Ukraine claiming Russian involvement.
The investigation into the the cause of the crash is expected to reveal findings in October this year, with the criminal investigation surrounding it likely to be extended well in 2016.
As the anniversary of the tragedy reopens old wounds, Australia will remember the fallen in a memorial service today where a plaque, adorned with the victims’ names, will be unveiled outside Parliament House in Canberra.
Prior to the memorial, Prime Minister Tony Abbot spoke of the tragedy, saying that “there were 298 innocent people on this aircraft and their deaths offend our sense of justice”.
Further memorials will be held in Ukraine and the Netherlands on Friday, following on from the memorial service held in Kuala Lumpur on the 11th, where each victim was named, remembered and honoured with a moment of silence.
The tragedy will be remembered as the deadliest air craft shoot-down in history.