12 years on, MH370 families still carry the weight of longing

2026-03-08 - 05:34

Families of those on board Flight MH370 draw strength from loved ones, the support of strangers, and the hope that the truth about the plane will someday be revealed. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR: Twelve years have passed since Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board. But for the families left behind, the sense of loss has never truly faded. Life has moved forward – yet every year when March 8 arrives, memories return, along with a quiet, enduring longing for those who never came home. For many relatives, the past decade has meant learning to rebuild lives that changed overnight: raising children without a spouse, carrying on with daily routines while holding on to memories that remain vivid. For Nurlaila Ngah @ Awang, wife of senior flight steward LS Wan Swaid Wan Ismail, the longing for her husband has never faded. For a time after the tragedy, she said she could not even bring herself to eat or look at his favourite foods – tat nenas (pineapple tarts) and laksam. The 52-year-old, who previously worked with Malaysia Airlines, said she sometimes visits Kuala Lumpur International Airport to cope with the sense of loss. “I now live in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, so the airport is not far from my house. Whenever I miss him, I go to the airport. “I’ll go to the observation deck and watch the planes, just to ease the longing. But even when I see the planes, I end up crying,” she said. Even now, she said, her heart races whenever she sees flight crew members, and she still feels anxious about boarding an aircraft. Despite this, Nurlaila has carried on for the sake of her children. “Alhamdulillah, they are all grown up now. My eldest is 24, the second is 22, and the youngest is 20. We’ve continued with our lives as best as we can,” she added. “Climbing our way forward just to get through daily life back then was not easy. Everything is by the will of Allah, which gave me the strength. My children have also come to understand the loss of their father.” Nurlaila expressed gratitude to those who have continued supporting the families of those on board Flight MH370. “I would like to thank the government, Malaysia Airlines, and especially the people of Malaysia, who have always been very caring and continue to pray for us,” she expressed. “My husband has received prayers from across the globe. For that, I am deeply grateful.” Flight MH370 disappeared while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on this day 12 years ago. (EPA Images pic) Grace Subathirai Nathan, 38, whose mother Anne Daisy was a passenger on Flight MH370, shared similar sentiments, saying the past 12 years have not been easy for her family, particularly the early days. “At the beginning, it was much harder because there was so much uncertainty and it happened very suddenly. It took time for us to process. I think over time it has become easier to deal with,” she told Bernama. Grace, a lawyer and mother of two,, said one of the most difficult aspects was adjusting to life without her mum and facing milestones without her presence. “She wasn’t there at my graduation, she wasn’t there for my wedding, and she didn’t get to meet her grandchildren. Those are the moments when you miss them the most,” she said. Grace added that she was deeply moved by the support her family received from the public following the plane’s disappearance. “Especially in the first 10 years, we would organise remembrance events to mark each passing year. I find that people are very sympathetic; many people do care,” she said. So, even with many unanswered questions surrounding the disappearance, families continue to move forward as best they can. Each has found their own way to cope – drawing strength from loved ones, the support of strangers, and the hope that one day the truth about MH370 will finally be revealed.