“It’s Hell”: 2019 Boeing Crash Victims Seek Justice Five Years Later

Washington: Although the families of the 2019 Boeing disaster victims cannot bring their children, siblings, or companions back, they want to make sure that a similar tragedy never occurs again. This is their wish after five years.

With a picture of her late husband Mick in her hands, Naoise Ryan told reporters on Wednesday, “We’ve got French people, Canadians, Americans, Irish, and British; we’re all there together and we’re fighting for something together.”

On March 10, 2019, minutes after takeoff, an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX crashed into the earth, killing 157 people, including the Irishman.

Along with the families of victims of another Boeing 737 MAX tragedy that occurred five months earlier, in which 189 people perished on a Lion Air flight in Indonesia, Ryan is among hundreds of family members who are requesting that the US Justice Department bring charges against Boeing.

Ryan described losing her spouse as “hell,” saying, “I can tell you, it’s hell.”

A nightmare she continues to endure with every new meeting, including the one this week with justice authorities to hold Boeing responsible, with little indication that things will get any better.

She admitted to AFP that “coming here every time and meeting with this Department of Justice, it is traumatic,” but she also said that it was “very important to be present.”

For Catherine Berthet, who lost her 28-year-old daughter Camille in the tragedy in Ethiopia, being around other victims’ families is a “blessing.”

Berthet trembled and continued, “We are very close but we never speak of what happened.”

The 56-year-old Frenchwoman was wearing a black outfit that was a birthday present, and she had a picture of herself smiling next to her younger brother that had been miraculously discovered amid the jet debris.

“Die in vain.” The families’ demand for justice coincides with increased scrutiny of Boeing after a string of mishaps, such as the January incident in which a door plug fell out of a Boeing 737 MAX operated by Alaska Airlines, leaving a large hole in the cabin.

To ascertain if Boeing has broken a deferred prosecution agreement put in place after the 2018 and 2019 accidents, the US Justice Department has until July 31st.

If true, the massive American aircraft company may be charged with a crime.

Ike Riffel, whose two children perished in the collision, expressed his optimism that the family members will be able to get justice for the deaths.

“They are going to get to the bottom of this and they’re a great group of people,” Riffel said.

He went on to say that he was “after the people in Boeing,” not the business, and that he didn’t see Boeing improving until these individuals were dealt with and weeded out.

“Our boys are forever lost to us. However, we are now fighting for justice—justice for our kids and the other 346 passengers on that aircraft, Riffel said, alluding to the victims of the Boeing disasters that occurred in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

In the hopes that it may provide him and his family with some solace and closure, Riffel says he wants to see Boeing put on trial.

After losing her 24-year-old daughter Samya, Nadia Milleron announced her intention to “prevent other deaths… so that perhaps she didn’t die in vain.” Milleron is now a candidate for a US Congress seat.

A cherry tree planted in Samya’s honor was now flowering, Milleron said. “I think about it many times a day—my daughter’s presence, her spirit, her happiness,” Milleron said.

Milleron said, “It’s just lovely,” as tears welled up in her eyes.