An Australian couple who lost three kids when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down in 2014 has some happy news: they have welcomed a baby girl.
Perth parents Anthony Maslin and Marite Norris’ kids – Mo, 12, Evie, 10, and Otis, 8 – were flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when their plane was shot down by a missile over eastern Ukraine in July 2014. The three kids were killed, along with their maternal grandfather Nick Norris.
A week after the crash, the couple said: “We live in a hell beyond hell. Our babies are not here with us – we need to live with this act of horror, every day and every moment for the rest of our lives.”
Two years later, the couple is still recovering, but the birth of their daughter Violet May Maslin on May 10 is helping them heal.
“Our family was torn apart when MH17 was blown out of the sky by the violent anger of a nationalist missile,” the couple said in a statement to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
“We still live with pain, but Violet, and the knowledge that all four kids are with us always, brings light to our darkness. As Martin Luther King said, ‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.’”
The couple believes their newborn is “an amazing gift” from the loved ones they lost, however, “We will continue to love all four of our children equally,” they said.
“Violet brings some hope and joy for us. We hope she brings hope and joy for you too.”
According to BBC, 298 people were killed on Flight MH17. Of that number, 80 were children.
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