‘The world has forgotten us’: MH17 disaster haunts victims’ families, 10 years on

But a decade later, the families and victims are still grappling with unimaginable grief – slowly trying to rebuild their shattered lives in the harrowing aftermath.

Disturbing images and disinformation surrounding the tragedy continue to resurface online, making it painfully difficult for the victims’ next of kin to find closure despite the passage of time.

“There are a lot of sick people out there,” said Piet Ploeg, chairman of the MH17 Disaster Foundation, who lost his own brother, sister-in-law, and their young son in the disaster.

“Terrible pictures of the victims at the crash site are posted on social media nearly every day. Some of the body parts … you can recognise who they are. This is very cruel to the next of kin.”

Ploeg told This Week in Asia that his Netherlands-based foundation, which aims to safeguard those left behind, support them in their grief and commemorate the victims, had warned surviving family members not to look at social media.

“It is a heavy thing to see … we are trying to protect them,” he said. “I have asked people to stop making such postings but they don’t listen.”

Even as the victims’ loved ones struggle to heal, the full circumstances behind the downing of the ill-fated flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur remain shrouded in mystery a decade later. The 298 victims hailed from 17 different countries, with Dutch nationals making up the majority at 198 killed. There were also 43 Malaysians, 38 Australians and 10 Britons on board.

“MH17 next of kin are an unwitting victim of geopolitics,” Ploeg said.

He condemned Moscow’s callous disregard for the suffering of the victims’ loved ones.

“They are indifferent to the fate and the pain of the next of kin. Human lives and dignity are not important for