Prime Minister Najib Razak`s step-grandmother was on board the Malaysia Airlines passenger jet that crashed in violence-wracked Ukraine, the country`s defence minister confirmed.
|Last Updated: Jul 19, 2014, 09:51 AM IST|Source: AFP
Kuala Lumpur: Prime Minister Najib Razak`s step-grandmother was on board the Malaysia Airlines passenger jet that crashed in violence-wracked Ukraine, the country`s defence minister confirmed on Saturday.
Hishammuddin Hussein, a cousin of Najib`s, said 83-year-old Sri Siti Amirah was "on the flight". Siti Amirah was also Hishammuddin`s step-grandmother.
"Pls pray 4 her," he wrote on his Twitter feed above a photo of her in an Islamic headscarf.
The defence minister`s tweet confirmed an earlier report in the Star newspaper that said Siti Amirah had embarked alone in Amsterdam on board flight MH17 en route to the Indonesian city of Jogjakarta.
She was scheduled to transit at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
The Boeing 777 passenger jet carrying 298 people came down in flames late Thursday in cornfields in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine, with US officials saying it was shot down by a surface-to-air missile.
Siti Amirah, a native of Indonesia, was headed there to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, Islam`s biggest festival, at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Star report quoted a family spokeswoman as saying.
Both Malaysia and Indonesia are Muslim-majority countries.
"She was a very, very nice lady. A kind-hearted, beautiful woman. She was a homemaker who looked after my grandfather very well. We called her `ibu` (mother)," the family spokeswoman told the newspaper.
She was once married to Mohammad Noah Omar, Najib`s maternal grandfather, as his second wife.
Najib, 60, is the son of Malaysia`s second prime minister Abdul Razak, while Hishammuddin is the son of the country`s third premier Hussein Onn.
The mothers of Hishammuddin and Najib are siblings.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.