“A childless father”: MH-17 families speak of deep trauma

SCHIPHOL, Netherlands (AP) — Relatives of the 298 passengers and crew killed on July 17, 2014, when a Buk missile blew a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur out of the sky above conflict-torn eastern Ukraine, are finally having their say. Under Dutch law, the relatives are allowed to make a victim impact statement to the court. About 90 people plan to do so over the next three weeks, some speaking via video links from other countries. Peter van der Meer said Monday that Father’s Day has become the one of the most horrible days of the year for him, following the loss of his three daughters aged 12, 10 and 7 who were on the plane. He told the court “I’m a father without children, a childless father.”