Its minister, Rohani Abdul Karim, said the counsellors would be ready to provide counselling when the next of kin contacted them.

She said six of the ill fated MH17 next of kin were reported to have contacted their counsellors to express their sadness following widespread media coverage in conjunction with the second anniversary of the tragedy.

“They contacted the counsellors late Sunday afternoon and night to express their feelings of sadness. All of them were given immediate counselling.

“Some got counselling service for their children who still find it difficult to accept the loss of their parents,” she told reporters after the Hari Raya Aidilfitri event in her office yesterday.

The Boeing B777, which was carrying 298 passengers and crew, was shot down in Ukraine while en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014.

Rohani said her ministry was also arranging a meeting between the next of kin with three ministers simultaneously, namely herself, Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai and Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein as the former acting Transport Minister.

“This is because when the next of kin (of MH17 victims) meet me, they raise various questions, including those outside my jurisdiction such as compensation and so forth. So it is so much easier to organise a meeting and involve all the ministers in charge,” she added.