Heartbreaking Loss For Families Of Malaysian Flight Shot Down
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The human toll is heartbreaking as families learn of loved ones lost. A passenger took a picture of Malaysian Airlines flight 17 shortly before takeoff. He had an ominous Facebook post "Should it disappear," he wrote, "this is what it looked like." It was likely meant to be a joke, but now, the heartbreaking reality is that everyone on board that plane died.
In the Philippines, another family mourns. Just before the flight took off, a woman's sister in law sent a final text, "I love you," she said. "It's time to take off." That was the last they heard from her.
"Nearly 300 innocent lives were taken, men, women, children, infants who had nothing to do with the crisis in Ukraine. Their deaths are an outrage of unspeakable proportions.
Watch Ted Scouten's 5 p.m. report, click here.
President Barack Obama spoke about the innocent victims who were killed when the surface to air rocket hit the aircraft. "Nearly 300 innocent lives were taken, men, women, children, infants who had nothing to do with the crisis in Ukraine," said the President. Their deaths are an outrage of unspeakable proportions."
Quinn Schansman was on board. The president said he's an American -- a dual citizen, who lived in The Netherlands. We understand he was flying to Malaysia to join his family -- already on vacation there.
At the scene of the crash, luggage and items strewn across the ground tell us more about the 298 people on board. We know three were infants. The latest count shows 192 were Dutch, 29 Malaysians, 28 Australians, 12 Indonesians and 10 from the UK. Also on board about hundred Aids researchers, heading to Australia for a conference including renowned researcher Dr. Joep Lange. "He was quite visionary," said his friend Sharon Lewin. "These were men and woman who had dedicated their lives to saving the lives of others," said the President. "They were taken from us in a senseless act of violence."
And for one Australian family it was an unbearable loss. A husband and wife were on the flight 17, the family is still trying to cope with the loss of two others – they were on board the other Malaysian air flight that disappeared in March.
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