MH17 Families
People who said they believed their relatives were on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 react as they wait for more information about the crashed plane at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang July 18, 2014. REUTERS/Olivia Harris

Relatives of the passengers and crew of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, the Boeing 777 that crashed in Ukraine on Thursday, have begun gathering around Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport, where the flight originated, and the destination Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia in search of answers on the fate of their family members.

Journalists and some family members of passengers clustered around the viewing area of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia's capital, but airport security barred them from entering. Melissa Goh, the Malaysia bureau chief of Channel News Asia, tweeted a photo of passengers’ family members demanding to speak with Malaysia Airlines officials.

Malaysian independent newspaper Malaysiakini spoke with Mohd Salleh Shamsuddin, the father of MH17 flight attendant Nur Shazana Mohd Salleh. “She is my daughter, pray that she is safe,” he said. “She is single, hoping to get her married soon. She felt that this month is special for her.”

Malaysiakini also spoke with Noraini Mohd Noor, the sister of one of the passengers on the flight. Noor said her 67-year-old sister, who had been living in Switzerland and had not returned to Malaysia in five years, was visiting for the Hari Raya religious holiday.

Meanwhile, Thomas Erdbrink, Tehran bureau chief for the New York Times, tweeted a photo from the Schipol Airport in Amsterdam as relatives of those on the flight were escorted by bus to a nearby hotel to receive further updates.

Ukraine