Whenever asked about his mother, chief stewardess Azrina Yakob, six-year-old Aqil Rais Mohd Rafliz would reply that she went to work and her plane exploded.
"He would say that whenever people asked. But I don't think he knows what it really means,” said Azrina's brother-in-law, Zulkifli Abdul Rahman.
“He would continue playing and sometimes he will tease his younger sister Arissa Raisya, 3, about her mother.
Azrina, 41, was one of two chief stewardesses on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 which was shot down over eastern Ukraine on Thursday.
The Kuala Lumpur-bound flight from Amsterdam was carrying 298 people, including 15 crew members who were all Malaysians.
Zulkifli, who is married to Azrina's older sister, said Aqil Rais has not felt the loss much as he has his cousins to play with.
"He's a kid. Although his father told him what happened, he did not react much. He is used to being without his mother because of her job as a stewardess. Maybe later when everyone has gone home..., " said Zulkifli.
Recalling how he found out that the plane had been shot down, Zulkifli said it was Azrina's husband who broke the news to him.
"He tried twice to reach my wife but she was already asleep at the time. But he managed to get us on the third try," said Zulkifli.
He said the family was in disbelief over what happened.
"How could they shoot down a commercial flight? It is a barbaric act. Something like this should never happen," said Zulkifli.
He said although the family wants the perpetrator to be punished for the crime, the most important thing now is to secure a safe zone for rescuers to move in to the crash site so the bodies can be retrieved.
"That is what the world needs to do now, pressure Ukraine to make it safe for our team to move into the area," said Zulkifli.
He said the whole family including Azrina's husband, siblings and parents have accepted her death.
But they have one wish — for her remains to be brought back so they could give her a proper burial according to Muslim rites.
"One day, her children when they grow up can visit her grave. That's what we wish for. If it cannot be done, due to security and safety reasons, we will accept," said Zulkifli.
He said that since the incident, there has been a steady stream of visitors at Azrina's home in Sungai Pelek.
"Friends and relatives are here to give moral support. Azrina is well liked by all. Very cheerful, very committed to her job. She loved flying," said Zulkifli.
However, there was no sign of Azrina's husband and their children at the house.
"He does not want to be interviewed or to answer any question. He has so many things in his mind so he decided to take MAS’s offer to stay at a hotel in Putrajaya. He took along his two kids and Azrina's parents," said Zulkifli.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai yesterday said a special technical team had already arrived in Kiev but was still awaiting clearance to go to the crash site in the Donetsk region, bordering Russia.
In light of reports of looting and pillaging at the crash site, Liow called on all parties, including the Ukrainian government, to protect the integrity of the scene.
Liow said any action which prevented authorities and investigators from learning the truth about MH17 was a betrayal and an obstruction of justice.
He said the remains of the 298 victims could not be laid to rest yet as their bodies were still out in the open.
"Their lives have been claimed by violence, and now violence is also the main obstacle for these victims to be accorded final respects," he said. – July 20, 2014.