Hasina mourns Dutch deaths in MH17 plane crash

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has condoled the deaths of 192 Dutch nationals in the Malaysian airlines plane MH17 shootdown over Ukraine.

In a message to her Netherlands counterpart Mark Rutte, Hasina said she was “deeply shocked and saddened” to learn about the plane crash with 298 people on board.

“At this difficult hour, the people of Bangladesh join me in sharing the grief of the people of the Netherlands,” she wrote.

The Kuala Lumpur-bound jetliner crashed Thursday near the Russian border, with all the 298 passengers and crew members on board confirmed dead.

This is the second major tragedy for Malaysia Airlines this year after flight MH370 with 239 passengers and crew on board went missing while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on Mar 8.

It remains untraced till date.

Prime Minister Hasina also conveyed her “deepest condolences” to the bereaved families, according to the message the foreign ministry sent.

“The people of Bangladesh stand by the people of the Netherlands with their sincerest prayers at this difficult juncture.

“May the Almighty grant them strength and fortitude to bear with such enduring loss,” she further said in her condolence message.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali has also expressed his condolences in a message to his Dutch counterpart Frans Timmermans.