It is with a sense of terrible irony that you won't see most of the pictures of what remains of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

MH17: Big photos capture Malaysia Airline tragedy

Even in the age of social media's insatiable demand for verified images, the majority of the photos from yesterday that proved beyond doubt what had happened to the tragic passenger jet were just too graphic to be published.

Read also:
• Malaysia Airlines might never recover
• Black humour turns chillingly accurate
• Malaysia PM says route was deemed safe
• Editorial: Time airlines took heads out of clouds

These distressing photos are almost too horrible to take in, and your heart breaks when you think of the loved ones of the 298 people on board the plane who now have to deal with the aftermath of the crash.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But amid the almost incomprehensible tragedy a single image proved especially poignant; a passenger's travel book and holiday novel strewn on the grass against the backdrop of the crash site's devastation.

Everyone can identify with the terrible inherent sadness in the juxtaposition of a normal holiday and near-unimaginable tragedy.

And this is why, as with flight MH370, people will be compelled to follow what happened to MH17, however upsetting.

Photos: Malaysia Airlines MH17 shot down

- The Independent

Related articles:

WORLD

How does MH17 compare with previous plane disasters?

18 Jul, 2014 6:13am
4 minutes to read
WORLD

Who shot down MH17?

18 Jul, 2014 6:28am
5 minutes to read
WORLD

MH17: What we know - and don't

18 Jul, 2014 11:02am
4 minutes to read
WORLD

Latest updates: MH17 crash

18 Jul, 2014 9:01am
2 minutes to read