Beijing: For the relatives of the 239 people on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH 370, the long wait for news about their loved ones on Saturday was a harrowing one.
Family members of those aboard the missing Boeing aircraft were united in their anxiety and despair, as they gathered in a Beijing hotel waiting for information that was hard to come by.
The aircraft was carrying people from 14 countries, from Indian parents travelling to Beijing to see their son, and Chinese sons and daughters returning home to be with their families, to artists, students and tourists from far corners of the world.
Relatives had risen early on Saturday to greet their families — the flight was due to land at 6.30 a.m. local time, or 4 a.m. IST, around six hours after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.
Instead, they arrived at Beijing airport’s Terminal 3 to hear the flight had been delayed indefinitely.
Chuang Ken Fei from Malaysia, who was waiting for his two friends, said he was first told by airline officials that the flight had not even taken off, although he found on flight-tracking websites that the Boeing 777-200 had left Kuala Lumpur.
Throughout the day, relatives of passengers were left angered by what they described as a lack of accurate and timely information from the airline.
Relatives were taken from Beijing airport to the nearby Lido hotel in northeastern Beijing, where a Malaysia Airlines office is also located.
Family members said it took airline officials “half a day” to even furnish a complete passenger list.
09/03/14 The Hindu
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
Family members of those aboard the missing Boeing aircraft were united in their anxiety and despair, as they gathered in a Beijing hotel waiting for information that was hard to come by.
The aircraft was carrying people from 14 countries, from Indian parents travelling to Beijing to see their son, and Chinese sons and daughters returning home to be with their families, to artists, students and tourists from far corners of the world.
Relatives had risen early on Saturday to greet their families — the flight was due to land at 6.30 a.m. local time, or 4 a.m. IST, around six hours after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.
Instead, they arrived at Beijing airport’s Terminal 3 to hear the flight had been delayed indefinitely.
Chuang Ken Fei from Malaysia, who was waiting for his two friends, said he was first told by airline officials that the flight had not even taken off, although he found on flight-tracking websites that the Boeing 777-200 had left Kuala Lumpur.
Throughout the day, relatives of passengers were left angered by what they described as a lack of accurate and timely information from the airline.
Relatives were taken from Beijing airport to the nearby Lido hotel in northeastern Beijing, where a Malaysia Airlines office is also located.
Family members said it took airline officials “half a day” to even furnish a complete passenger list.
09/03/14 The Hindu
