KUALA LUMPUR - Family members and the next-of-kin of those on board the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 held a remembrance ceremony to mark the second anniversary of its disappearance on Sunday (March 6).
About 150 people attended the ceremony at the square of a Kuala Lumpur shopping mall, which saw the family members and next-of-kin sharing their heartfelt messages along with sombre song and dance performances.
The ceremony took place two days before the anniversary of the flight's disappearance on March 8, 2014. Flight MH370, a Boeing 777-200ER,was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with a total of 239 passengers and crew on board when the midnight flight lost contact with air traffic controllers. Most of the passengers on board were Chinese nationals.
"We're fighting to search on," said Jacquita Gonzales, wife of MH370 flight steward Patrick Gomes.
Also present at the event on Sunday (March 6) were several Chinese family members who made the trip to Kuala Lumpur after Malaysia Airlines denied their request to host a remembrance event in Beijing.
"I want to let my mother know I'll never give up," said Jiang Hui, whose mother Jiang Cuiyun was a passenger.
Hopes that the plane would be found were rekindled ahead of the two-year anniversary after a part suspected to be debris from the plane was found in Mozambique last week. Malaysian transport minister Liow Tiong Lai told reporters at a separate event on Sunday that a Malaysian team will meet Mozambique officials on Monday (March 7) over the latest discovery.
A wing part recovered from Reunion island off Madagascar last year has so far been the only debris from MH370 that has been found.
Massive search operations are underway in the southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed the plane ended its journey after diverting from its original route.
Last Thursday (March 3), Voice370, an international next-of-kin network, issued a statement calling on the authorities involved to keep searching for the plane beyond an expected mid-year completion date.
