Malaysia marks grim Eid after MH17 crash
July 28, 2014
Prime Minister Najib Razak expressed his "extreme sadness, most profound sympathy and deepest condolences" to MH17 families, as well as relatives of those aboard another Malaysia Airlines jet, MH370, that went missing on March 8."Of course, I am able to feel and imagine what they would be going through when, upon waking up on the morning of Eid al-Fitr, their loved ones are not with them," he said in a televised address late Sunday.
Forty-three Malaysian passengers and crew were among the 298 people aboard flight MH17, which is believed to have been shot down by a missile over violence-wracked eastern Ukraine on July 17. None on board survived.
Eid marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, and is usually a joyful time of family gatherings and feasting. Some 60 percent of Malaysia´s 28 million people are Muslim.
Najib, a Muslim himself, had said he would try to bring back the Malaysian victims´ bodies before Eid, but officials have said it could take weeks more as the remains so far recovered are in Netherlands for identification and forensic work.
In his speech, Najib reiterated his promise to bring back the remains "as soon as possible for burial".
Some remains are still believed to be at the crash site.
Most of those aboard the Boeing 777 were Dutch, and Amsterdam is leading the investigation into the disaster.
