Dive Brief:
- Reports suggest that up to 108 people flying to Melbourne for the AIDS 2014 conference were killed in the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 crash on Thursday.
- There are allegations that flight MH17 may have been shot down by participants in the Ukrainian civil conflict.
- The conference is going on as scheduled, in recognition of the dedication of the crash victims to the cause of curing HIV/AIDS.
Dive Insight:
According to a report by the Sydney Morning Herald, approximately one third of the people who died on flight MH17 were en route to the AIDS conference, which is hosted by the International AIDS Society (IAS). Among the victims are former IAS president Joep Lange of Amsterdam, Glenn Thomas, a WHO media officer, and many other important AIDS thought leaders and advocates. The International AIDS Society is moving forward with the conference as planned, while simultaneously expressing its heartfelt anguish over the loss of so many dedicated individuals.
The International AIDS Society will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.
"The International AIDS Society, conveners of the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014), is continuing to work with the authorities to clarify how the tragic loss of Malaysian Airlines flight MH 17 impacts our conference delegates, our conference partners, and our community as a whole," read a statement on the IAS conference site.