Details about MH17 passengers emerge

By Maxime Zech on July 18, 2014 - 10:47
Joep Lange
. (Joep Lange, AIDS researcher, killed in the crash. Source: Twitter/@vinnydrey)

There is more clarity on the identities of Dutch victims who perished in the tragedy of the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash in Ukraine, which numbers 173 at this moment. Along with Dutch AIDS researcher Joep Lange, teacher Bart Lambregts and at least 16 people from Brabant have lost their lives. 

Joep Lange (born 1954) was a professor at the University of Amsterdam as well as a leading factor in proof treatments against the virus. He was head of the Amsterdam Institute of Global Health and Development (Aighd) and leader of the Department of Global Health of the AMC in Amsterdam.

The AIDS expert worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva between 1992 and 1995. From 2002 to 2004 he was president of the International AIDS Society, and was in various organization consultancy groups in the private and public sector, according to Het Parool.

Lange published more than 350 articles and supervised more than 30 PhD students. He received the Eijkman medal for his work in Tropical Medicine and International Medicine in 2007.

Joep Lange was on the MH17 flight along with several other passengers to attend the 2014 AIDS Summit in Melbourne, Australia. Michael Kessler, spokesperson for The International AIDS Society, said at a press conference that the HIV AIDS movement has "truly lost a giant" in Lange.

Bart Lambregts, teacher at primary school De Klimroos in Kortendijk, Roosendaal, was also on the flight with his girlfriend Astrid Hornikx from Goirle. Bart was a champion of the arts, and supported the cultural sector. He was busy rehearsing for a new opera piece that would be on stage in November, according to his friend, André Verstijlen.

"They were very open, real life-enjoyers. You could also talk to them very easily and they suited each other perfectly. That they are no longer with us is a big loss for the cultural sector", Verstijlen tells Omroep Brabant.

Along with this couple, another couple, Geert and Hanny Timmers, were also on the fateful flight. They were on their way to Indonesia to do a bicycle tour on Java and Bali. This was organized by Willem Linders at travel agency Indonesia Travel. Linders says four of his clients were probably on that flight.

According to Omroep Brabant, at least 16 people from the region were on the same flight, including families. Malaysia Airlines will have a completed passenger list later today, as more details emerge about the identities on the disastrous MH17 flight.

Families of Dutch victims are able to contact Malaysia Airlines on +31703487770 for details. 

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