On board the ill-fated flight, Malaysia Airlines MH17, that crashed in eastern Ukraine were six professionals who had a common final destination, the 20th International AIDS Conference in milbourne, Australia. Each of these travelers was from a distinct field of practice including activism, science, and communications. Each of them was trying to fulfill an important role in the unabating fight against AIDS, but the unforeseen tragedy cut their lives, and their contributions towards putting an end to the pervasive disease, dismally short.
In his interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Trevor Stratton, A Canadian consultant for HIV/AIDS wondered regrettably, "what if the cure for AIDS was on that plane?"
Executive Director for the American Academy of HIV Medicine, James Friedman also said in a written statement that, "Not only did this tragedy take the licensees researchers, but also robbed the world of your future discoveries and contributions to the HIV/ AIDS patients they served."
In earlier reports, there were claims that as many as 108 of the 298 passengers that were on that flight were delegates to the biennial conference where former U.S. president Bill Clinton was scheduled to attend this year. The source of this information is unclear, although the International AIDS society has already confirmed the six known delegates, including renowned scientist and dedicated AIDS researcher, Dr. Joep Lange who is a former president for the International AIDS Society and was traveling with his partner, Jacqueline Van Torengen who was a nurse who used to work with HIV/AIDS patients. The educational delegates who lost their lives in the crash were Maria Ariana de Schutter and Lucie Van Mens, both affiliated with the group AIDS Action Europe. Pim de Kuijer, a lobbyist from The Netherlands working with the nonprofit organization called Stop AIDS Now, and Glenn Thomas who was a communications specialist for the World Health Organization.
Despite the tragedy, organizers of the event said that the conference will go on and will be dedicated to the memory of their fallen colleagues.