Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash: Steward switched shift to be on MH17, wife switched shift out of MH370

Flight steward Sanjid Singh Sandu, 41, was not supposed to be on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. -- PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Flight steward Sanjid Singh Sandu, 41, was not supposed to be on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. -- PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

BUKIT MERTAJAM (The Star/Asia News Network) - In a cruel twist of fate, a Malaysian air steward switched his shift with a colleague and ended up on MH17, months after his stewardess wife escaped death by swopping herself out of MH370 which disappeared in March.

Flight steward Sanjid Singh Sandu, 41, was not supposed to be on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

According to his father Jijar Singh, 71, Mr Sanjid had switched his shift with a colleague.

His 73-year-old mother had planned to cook his favourite dishes for Mr Sanjid upon his arrival in Penang.

"He last came home last month. My son spoke to me over the phone just before his flight.

"I didn't know that would be my last conversation with him."

"What has happened has happened," said Mr Jijar in between tears as he spoke to reporters at his house at Taman Selamat in Alma here.

Mr Jijar and his wife received the news from their daughter-in-law, who is also a flight stewardess at Malaysia Airlines at 4am on Friday.

Ironically, Mr Sanjid's wife, who was rostered to be on MH370 which went missing in March, escaped death because she switched duty with a colleague, reported the Malaysian Insider.

Mr Jijar said he was eager to see his youngest child and only son after the flight. "He always called us before he leaves for his trip... Sanjid's wife was meant to fly on MH370 but swapped with another colleague at the last minute."

Air traffic control lost contact with the Boeing 777-400 around 12.15am GMT near the Russian-Ukrainian border.

Flight MH17 took off from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport shortly after noon Thursday and was supposed to land in Kuala Lumpur at about 6.10am local time on Friday.

Flight tracking data indicated that the plane was at its cruising altitude of 33,000 feet when it disappeared.

The Boeing 777 is believed to have been shot down 50km from the Ukraine-Russia border.

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