Family lost 2 in MH370, and loses two more in MH17

They lost two of their own when MH370 went missing.

Now, just four months later, this extended Australian family has again been hit by tragedy after losing two more family members in the MH17 disaster, reported AFP.

Albert and Maree Rizk, who were returning to Melbourne after a month-long holiday in Europe, were killed when the plane went down in Ukraine, Australian media reported.

A spokesman for the Rizk family, Mr Ken Grech, told the Herald Sun that the couple had tried to change their flight to avoid a lengthy stopover in KL.

They have two children and had lived in the Sunbury area for more than 20 years. They were believed to be involved with a number of local sporting clubs, reported The Age.

In a further tragic twist, Mrs Rizk is the stepdaughter of Ms Kaylene Mann, who lost her brother and sister-in-law, Rodney and Mary Burrows, in the MH370 disaster.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the Burrows family has requested for privacy to deal with the latest loss.

Mr Rodney Burrows' brother, Mr Greg Burrows, did not want to make a statement on behalf of the Rizk family, but said: "We've got no ill feelings with Malaysia Airlines. Nobody could predict this one and nothing's been proven on the first one, so there's nothing there.

"We are still waiting for answers on the first (incident)," he said.

M'SIAN GRANNY'S GRIEF

Closer to home, a grandmother in Kuching, Sarawak, lost six of her family members on the ill-fated flight.

Madam Jamilah Noriah Abang Anuar, 72, was looking forward to seeing her daughter Ariza Ghazalee, 47, son-in-law Tambi Jiee, 49, and their four teenage children, reported The Star.

"They were supposed to be home by 4pm for breaking of fast. This tragedy shatters me; my daughter and her family lost in a blink of an eye," Madam Jamilah told reporters at her home.

The family was returning from Kazakhstan, where Mr Tambi, a Shell employee, had been working for about three years. They were returning to Malaysia for good.

Madam Jamilah said she learnt of the tragedy at 1.30am yesterday, when she was woken up by family members.

"I was asleep. I received a call from my children, saying they were outside my house," she said, adding, "They told me. I cried. What can I do?"

This article was first published on July 19, 2014.
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