Hilversum building MH17 memorial to residents killed in plane crash

Hilversum is building a monument in Dudokpark to commemorate the 15 residents of the city who were killed in the MH17 disaster. The monument will be unveiled on July 17th, exactly two years after the Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down over eastern Ukraine, ANP reports. The monument consists of 15 bronze sunflowers, one for each victim. The sunflowers stand in a circle, connected to each other by leaves. A bench on which the victims' names is engraved will be placed in front of the monument. The victims' relatives themselves informed the municipality that it is important to them to have an easily accessible memorial in the city. The municipality opened a bank account where people can donate money for the memorial until July 17th. "It then becomes a monument of and for Hilversum residents", the municipality said. The monument will cost about 50 thousand euros. The municipality stands guarantee for that amount.