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Malaysia flies flag at half mast in Glasgow 2014 opening ceremony to remember MH17 victims

Jul 23 2014
Written by Joseph McCormick

Malaysian athletes entered the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony with flags at half mast, to remember victims of the MH17 Malaysia Airlines crash.

Athletes walked alongside Malaysia Airlines cabin crew, and wore black armbands in remembrance of the almost 300 people lost in the tragedy.

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond also paid tribute to the loss of 298 people. The victims included 100 HIV activists, clinicians and academics.

Around 100 people due to attend an HIV/AIDS conference in Australia were onboard the flight MH17 when it was shot down over eastern Ukraine.

The plane, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was a connecting flight for many people heading to the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, which started last weekend.

Dr Rosemary Gillespie, Chief Executive at Terrence Higgins Trust, paid tribute to all those lost, saying it was a “cruel blow” which will be “felt for some time.”