MH17 disaster commemorated in Vijfhuizen today

The people who died on board flight MH17 will be commemorated in Vijfhuizen (Haarlemmermeer) today. It is the ninth anniversary of the Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur getting shot down with a BUK missile over eastern Ukraine. On board were 298 people, including 196 Dutch.

The commemoration will happen at the National MH17 Monument in Park Vijfhuizen. The chairman of the foundation Vliegramp MH17, among others, will give a speech. Around 20 surviving relatives will read the names of all the victims, followed by two minutes of silence. A big commemoration of the disaster is held every five years. This year’s commemoration is simple.

In 2022, two Russians and a Ukrainian were convicted and sentenced in absentia to life in prison by the court in The Hague for their role in delivering and removing the BUK-TELAR that shot down MH17. A fourth suspect was acquitted.

The commemoration starts at 2:00 p.m. and can be followed live at this site.