Unable to get beyond their loss in the absence of answers, the families of those aboard missing Flight 370 feel trapped in time

Malaysia: In the last ten years, Grace Subathirai Nathan completed her legal education, got married, started her own legal practice, and gave birth to two children. However, a portion of her remains in the past, continuing to deny the death of her mother on a Malaysia Airlines flight that vanished in 2014.

Grace, 35, still refers to her mother in the present tense when speaking about her; there has been no burial ceremony. Because her mother’s name is Anne Catherine Daisy, she opted to carry a bouquet of daisies with a photograph of her mother nestled within when she got married in 2020.

The Malaysian criminal lawyer used her anguish to fuel the ongoing search for information about the MH370 mystery, which has torn many families apart. As a result, she became one of the main spokespersons for Voice 370, a next-of-kin support organization.

“As for moving on, I made progress in my family life and job, but I’m still trying to advocate for the continuation of the MH370 search. I haven’t moved on since I’m still working to have the aircraft discovered, Grace said in an interview. “Emotionally, I feel like there’s a chasm that hasn’t been filled because there’s been no closure, even though I know logically in my head that I probably won’t see her again.”

People are still fascinated by the mysterious disappearance of Flight 370, all throughout the globe. On March 8, 2014, a Boeing 777 carrying 239 passengers took flight from Kuala Lumpur; however, it vanished from sight soon after and never reached its intended destination of Beijing. According to investigators, the plane’s communications system was purposefully turned off, causing it to veer off course.

Satellite data indicates that the plane may have crashed into a remote area of the southern Indian Ocean, but a thorough undersea search yielded no results. Aside from a few pieces that washed up on the coast of eastern Africa and several islands in the Indian Ocean, no debris or remains have ever been discovered.

Over the years, the families of those on board—many of whom were from China—have found various ways to deal with their loss, but their quest for justice and clarification has been consistent. Some Chinese families, who reject hypotheses about what happened to the airliner and cling to the hope that their loved ones could return someday, are still tormented by the sorrow.

Like Grace, Li Eryou, a Chinese farmer, has not buried or memorialized his only son.

At home, he keeps track of the days that have passed since MH370 vanished on a board. The incident ended the 27-year-old Li Yanlin’s bright career as an engineer with a Chinese telecoms business.

According to Li, the pain may be readily provoked by sounds, objects, or even flowers.

In a Handan city, China, interview, Li said, “I’ve been drifting along in life like a ghost all these years.” “I have to put on a grin when I see my friends and family. I can be my genuine self at night. I cry in private at the dead of night when nobody else is around.

Li’s health recently deteriorated, so he moved in with his daughter. Newspaper cuttings about the missing airplane, yellowed with age, still hang on the wall of his previous home, and his son’s room hasn’t been touched much.

“I think my kid is still with us, still on the airplane. Li alluded to his son’s favorite novel, Robinson Crusoe, when he stated, “Or he is living on a remote island like him.”

Li and his spouse don’t travel much, but they have gone to Madagascar, where pieces of the airplane have washed up on beaches, and Malaysia many times in search of answers. Their suffering is exacerbated by the absence of solutions.

They are among the about forty Chinese families who have rejected the airline’s little gesture of sympathy. They have filed lawsuits against five companies, including Malaysia Airlines, Boeing, and Rolls-Royce, a manufacturer of airplane engines, in an effort to get more money and clarification on who should be held responsible. Beijing court proceedings began in November, and it may take many months to reach a decision.

Li wrote his first poetry, which expressed his sorrow for his kid, on the hundredth day after the airplane disappeared. He has now written over 2,000 pieces that have assisted him in overcoming his loss.

“We yelled, “Malaysia Airlines 370,” to the Earth. The Earth rumbles, remains quiet, and never goes away. This is not where it is. See the bulky backpack resting on my son’s shoulders? One passage states, “His forehead shines with drops of sweat from hard work.” “We have made 10,000 appeals; please resume the search.”

“I penned my emotions down. These remarks are the sole reason I have survived these many years,” Li said.

There’s fresh optimism today for a resolution. The American marine robots company Ocean Infinity, which carried out a “no find, no fee” search in 2018, made a request for a fresh search known to Malaysia’s government at a 10-year anniversary ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur last Sunday. It’s unclear whether Ocean Infinity has updated information to determine the plane’s exact position.

Grace said, “A true form of healing can only start once we know what happened. Until those questions are answered, no matter how much you try to move on or close that chapter, it will never go away.”

Originally, her mother was not supposed to board the aircraft. Her vacation was supposed to depart a week earlier, but she postponed it to tend to Grace’s ill grandmother, who passed away some months after the aircraft vanished.

“MH370 goes well beyond our desire for closure, and I just want everyone to understand that this is not the end of history.” It’s the aviation industry’s future safety because, as Grace said, “we cannot stop something like this from happening again until we find MH370.”

126 books and many films have been produced regarding MH370, according to Jacquita Gomes, whose husband Patrick was an inflight supervisor on the aircraft. However, a lot of this has been conjecture with no solid answers.

We speak about him all the time and preserve his memory. We implore the hunt to continue because even though he may be gone, he is not forgotten and never will be,” she added. “We must ensure that airplane travel is safe once again. Remember everyone who is on board.