Memorial service for MH17 victims

A multi-faith memorial service in Canberra has remembered the 298 people killed in the MH17 plane crash.

A Malaysia Airlines crew member places a flower next to candles

A Ukrainian church in Canberra will hold a memorial service for the victims killed on flight MH17. (AAP)

The small flames of 298 candles burned brightly amid a sombre mood at Canberra's St Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

A multi-faith memorial service for the victims of flight MH17 on Saturday saw international representatives come together to pay respect.

"We are mourning this day all 298 victims of this air disaster, whoever they are, wherever they came from," the Netherlands ambassador to Australia, Annemieke Ruigrok, told the overflowing church.

Most of the people killed when the passenger jet was shot down over eastern Ukraine were from the Netherlands and Ms Ruigrok thanked the world for its outpouring of grief.

Leader of the Ukrainian Catholic church of St Volodymyr, Peter Lutak, said it was difficult to find words to convey the heartache and sorrow felt by those who have lost loved ones.

"We thank our political leadership for their strong bipartisan approach to this matter," he said.

And he offered prayers for the investigators and Australian police and military personnel awaiting clearance to deploy to the crash site.

According to Ukrainian Orthodox tradition, prayers will continue for 40 days for the souls of those killed.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world