The News Minute | July 21, 2014 |9:54 PM IST
Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Monday expressed his condolences and shared the grief of the relatives of the victims of the Malaysian plane crash in eastern Ukraine during a speech on national television and radio.
The king addressed the Dutch people after he and his wife Queen Maxima held a closed door meeting with relatives in Nieuwegein, a city in the province of Utrecht, Xinhua reported.
Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed Thursday afternoon in the conflict-hit Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board.
According to reports, the indications are that the Boeing 777 crashed after being hit by a missile. US President Barack Obama said that initial investigations showed that the missile was fired from an area in Ukraine controlled by anti-Kiev militants.
The disaster cost the lives of 193 Dutch citizens from all over the country.
"We are deeply touched by the poignant personal stories," the king said in his address.
"Their grief, their desperation, their impotence and desperation cut through the soul. We understand the frustration and share your grief. And we share the fervent desire for clarity on the cause of this disaster," he said
"We cannot make up for the victims... This scar will continue to be felt in the length of years. The only thing we can do is listen and support. All over the country people gather to support."
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also attended the meeting and gave a statement afterwards.
"There is so much sorrow," Rutte said. "I've spoken to people who have lost sometimes three, sometimes four people."
"The Netherlands feels the anger and deep sorrow," Rutte concluded. "The whole country stands behind the relatives."
IANS