SEPANG, July 18 — Mercy Malaysia is to station more than 50 psychologists and volunteer counsellors at the KL International Airport (KLIA) today to extend psychological and moral support to the families of the passengers and crew of a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) plane that crashed in Ukraine yesterday.
Mercy Malaysia executive committee member Dr Hariyati Shahrima Abdul Majid said the organisation would go all-out to provide the best assistance with the
cooperation of the MAS management.
Mercy Malaysia is an international non-profit organisation focusing on providing medical relief, sustainable health-related development and risk reduction activities for vulnerable communities, in both crisis and non-crisis situations.
“We understand that they (the families) have to manage their emotions to the maximum in this difficult moment. Our hearts and thoughts are always with them,”
she told reporters at the observation deck of KLIA.
As at 4.15 am, Mercy Malaysia had stationed five volunteers to provide moral support to departing cabin crew, she said. Dr Hariyati Shahrima said Mercy Malaysia mobilised personnel to KLIA once it heard of the incident through the media.
“We will undertake an evaluation on the appropriate assistance that would be required. We are ready,” she said. The MAS flight, MH17, was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it went down in Ukraine. It was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said early today that Ukrainian authorities believe that the Boeing 777 was shot down.
– BERNAMA
