Still in shock about the meaningless lost of lives, man, women, children, who all travelled with flight MH17 last week.

Many dutch and many other nationalities, who have tragically lost their dear family members, friends, colleagues.
Personally I lost a dear colleague, who was on her way to a well-deserved vacation together with her husband and two small children. Hard to imagine she is not with us anymore...

From today on a start will be made with bringing the victims back from the Ukraine to The Netherlands. Australia is helping us. The first victims are expected to arrive back on dutch soil around 16:00 CET.

A National day of Mourning to remember those who have lost their lives on flight MH17. And to support those who have to coop with the loss of their beloved ones.

Please join us for a One Minute Silence, at 16:00 CET.

Thank you!



http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/19/world/europe/malaysia-airlines-plane-victims.html?_r=1

When I heard this news I was so angry and sad. War, violence, greed for money and land and resources. The world is a mess for all this.

Really sorry Marco you lost a friend in all this too. I hope all the families concerned can soon find some peace.

Sorry to hear about your loss Marco, the plane was due to land here in my home city  

I am very sorry to hear that this bs hit so close to your heart Marco   

It is a horrible enough event all on its own but to now know that a great friend was touched personally by it really breaks my heart   

It's a awful world we live in   

Keep your head up bro - maybe someday the friendship and love that we all have for each other here at TIG will infect the rest of the world and all of us can live in peace ?

Wishful thinking and a longshot I know ...

Marco - Sorry to hear about this .

R.I.P.

Marco I'm really saddened to hear you knew someone who was aboard flight MH17, the world can be a horrible place at times  

I'm so sorry to hear that you have been affected by this event directly Marco. We're all here for you.

Marco, I'm sorry to hear you lost a friend / colleague. Our thoughts are with all those that lost love ones from around the world.  

Nationalities of the victims include 193 from the Netherlands (1 dual Netherlands/U.S. citizen); 43 from Malaysia; 27 from Australia; 12 from Indonesia; 10 from the United Kingdom; four from Germany; four from Belgium; three from the Philippines; one from Canada; and one from New Zealand for a completed passenger list of 298.

Thank you for your support, friends!

Some wise words, James.  We will get there one day.

We are a small densely populated country, so almost everyone in The Netherlands is somehow connected to someone else who is a family member, friend, colleague, neighbour etc. of one of the victims.  StarWizz I wish you much support with your loss, my friend!

The whole nation is in a collective state of mourning, reflecting the vast impact this tragedy has on our country. Never witnessed this before. Many ceremonies were held throughout the country today, organized for instance by city councils who had lost some of their dear inhabitants. There was also a ceremony in my home town Den Bosch. The picture was shot shortly after the One Minute Silence. Never realised that The Sound of Silence could be so Sorrowful..




After the first fourty victims arrived at Eindhoven airport this afternoon around 16:00, a ceremony was held in the presence of the King and Queen. Thereafter forty hearses with full police escort drove to the town of Hilversum on an abandoned highway. In this town, the formal identification process will begin.

Seeing this long row of hearses with people along the road  throwing flowers, applauding, softly crying, that was an impressive sight….hard to keep it dry then.

See for yourself:

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/23/world/europe/ukraine-malaysia-airlines-crash/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

I am so sorry to hear Marco it's a tragedy even worse when it effects someone we all know as a good friend.

Words can not express how sad it is that so many died and that it was totally avoidable, I do hope they get to the bottom of who did this, If it was an accident then admit it instead of trying to cover it up.

Everything about this whole situation is a disgarce to hummanity, war and religion anger me with every passing day.
Until reading this, it was just another pointless waste of life at the hands of war, now I have a friend who has lost someone through this.

Sorry for your loss chief

My deepest condolences Marco.

Sorry to hear about your friends.   

Marco my friend I was sitting here thinking and I know what it like to lose a close friend all to well. But the one thing I have learned in all the situations I have seen, in both war and disasters is never let the world change who you are.

There is a song I heard years ago by Garth brooks called the Change he redid the song for the remembrance of the Oklahoma bombing, but it's a fitting song for all things that can really shake your faith for this world. I hope you don't mine me sharing it with you. You are surrounded buy a whole community here we are family and if you need to talk,vent or just freak out that is what we are here for.

Larry

Garth Brooks "the change"
http://vimeo.com/8716214

"The Change"


One hand
Reaches out
And pulls a lost soul from harm
While a thousand more go unspoken for
They say what good have you done
By saving just this one
It's like whispering a prayer
In the fury of a storm

And I hear them saying you'll never change things
And no matter what you do it's still the same thing
But it's not the world that I am changing
I do this so this world will know
That it will not change me

This heart
Still believes
The love and mercy still exist
While all the hatred rage and so many say
That love is all but pointless in madness such as this
It's like trying to stop a fire
With the moisture from a kiss

And I hear them saying you'll never change things
And no matter what you do it's still the same thing
But it's not the world that I am changing
I do this so this world will know
That it will not change me

As long as one heart still holds on
Then hope is never really gone

I hear them saying you'll never change things
And no matter what you do it's still the same thing
But it's not the world that I am changing
I do this so this world we know
Never changes me

What I do is so
This world will know
That it will not change me

This has been very sad to follow,
my heart felt condolences to you Marco,
and anyone else personally touched by this senseless act.

Marco and Maikel I'm very sorry for you loss, as well as for all the families affected by this horrifying tragedy.

Sorry to hear about this loss. I feel so sad for you, for me, for all of us. It s a real tragedy.

R.I.P.

A sad day for all who lost their friends, family members and coleagues.

Be strong Marco and Maikel!

I wish you all the best.

Wolff

Marco/Starwizz really sorry to hear about this guy's.

Thank you for you big support, guys.
Larry that was a beautiful song.  

Since Wednesday, every day a new group of victims has been brought from the Ukraine to Eindhoven airport. From there a convoy of hearses drove to the town of Hilversum, about 100 kilometres up to the north. Today the last victims will be brought to The Netherlands, at least for the time being. A team of experts will be working very hard to find the remaining 72 victims at the site of the plane crash. In total there were 298 victims.

Yesterday An and I were standing at a high way overpass together with hundreds of others, paying tribute to the 75 victims in the hearses passing along. That was a sad but somehow also a very beautiful moment. Finally these innocent people got the nation wide respect and dignity they deserved.

Some pictures made by a national news agency. They speak for themselves:

Thank you for sharing Marco. The images and the video - the planes arriving, the flags, the procession of cars - are very moving.

Very moving photos Marco. They at least may now rest in peace as they are home.