The emptiness and pain remain in the hearts of families of the 283 passengers and 15 crew members on the Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
Many seek comfort in the memories and old pictures of their loved ones while some, like the mother of co-pilot Ahmad Hakimi Hanapi Mohd Noor, also found solace in the victims’ children.
In an interview with FMT, Noriah Daud said she was somewhat consoled by the presence of her grandson, five-year-old Abderrahman.
“Abderrahman bears a strong resemblance to Kimi, our son”, she said, referring to Hakimi by his pet name.
“Kimi is always in our hearts as Abderrahman looks very much like his father. Abderrahman often comes to our house and we are consoled by his presence,” she said.
Abderrahman was seven months old when the MH17 tragedy happened.
“Members of our family often tell him stories about Kimi, so that he would learn more about his father.
“Abderrahman is a bright child, as even at this age he understands the situation.
“At times, he would say ‘mami'(mother) is not pretty, ‘dada'(father) is pretty, I want to follow ‘dada’. I don’t want to stay here.
“Kimi liked to swim and engaged in physical activities, so does Abderrahman. He has inherited many of his father’s traits,” Noriah said.
She said her family had depended on Hakimi who was a responsible son.
“Kimi was the only son among three siblings and he was very responsible. I feel very grateful for that.
“He was very obedient and always listened to our advice. He was also a quiet person.
“His former colleagues often speak to me about him. They had good things to say about him, that he was a good Muslim and even when he was on duty, he never forgot to observe his prayers.”
The MH17 aircraft was shot down in eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014, killing all passengers and crew members.
The victims were from the Netherlands, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, Britain, Belgium, Germany, the Philippines, Canada and New Zealand.
After four years of investigations, the Joint Investigation Committee (JIT) headed by the Netherlands said on May 24 that the aircraft was brought down by a Russian military missile.