No one can fathom the agony that families of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 are going through — except the families of MH370.
After almost 10 months of waiting, they, too, are grappling with the notion that their loved ones are at the bottom of the ocean. But they have no proof or answers.
“The lack of ability to close things down emotionally is just exhausting,” said Sarah Bajc on Monday night. Her partner, Philip Woods, was on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
When news broke that yet another plane disappeared this week, Bajc said, “I just started to shake.”
“The emotions just repeat. And then you just feel this incredible ache. It’s a physical pain through your whole body. And just imagining what all those families are feeling as well, I can imagine it. Unfortunately, I know exactly what they’re going through.”
So does Danica Weeks, whose husband was on MH370, which disappeared from radar screens on a flight between Malaysia and China on March 8.
Sunday brought news that another airliner had vanished over the waters of a Southeast Asia ocean. AirAsia Flight QZ8501 went missing over the Java Sea on its way from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore, with 162 people on board.
“The last few days has been torment. It’s brought everything back. We’re just reliving what we’ve gone through,” she said. “It’s a horrible nightmare.”
A network of support
Bajc said relatives of MH370 victims have banded together as they wake up each day without their loved ones.
And it’s vital that relatives of AirAsia 8501 reach out for support, Weeks said.
“You just have to call on your close friends and family,” she said. “You need to lean on them because they are basically the only way you get through this.”
“Nine months, none of us are as strong as we used to be.”
Help center closed
In the weeks following MH370’s disappearance, the grand ballroom at Beijing’s Lido Hotel turned into the briefing room for relatives of those on board the flight.
Every day, the families came hoping for a miracle. And every day, they left dejected.
On Tuesday, the ballroom was dark and empty. The family assistance center was closed. Many families feel they’ve been forgotten and now feel starved for information.
MH370 search carries on
But the search goes on.
Crews are still scouring the southern Indian Ocean for the plane with a variety of high-tech equipment. But no wreckage has been found.
At the Malaysian government’s request, Australia is leading the search efforts.
Last week, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said the mapping of the sea floor continues, and a vessel is still searching underwater for the plane.
“Our work will continue to be thorough and methodical, so sometimes weekly progress may seem slow,” the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said. “Please be assured that work is continuing and is aimed at finding MH370 as quickly as possible.”
But families of those passengers and crew may have to wait even longer. Earlier this year, officials said scouring the entire 60,000-square-kilometer search zone could take 12 months to complete.
Weeks has no choice but to wait.
“We will never find peace until we do what’s right by our loved ones, and that’s bring them home to us.”
She wishes a better outcome for the families of AirAsia 8501.
“I would hate this to go on like it has for us. I hope they get to bring their loved ones home.”