‘Hell beyond hell: Our babies aren’t here’

The parents of three West Australian children who were killed with their grandfather in the MH17 plane disaster say they are living in "a hell beyond hell".

Mo Maslin, 12, his 10-year-old sister Evie, eight-year-old brother Otis and grandfather Nick Norris were among up to 39 Australian citizens and residents killed when Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17.

The children’s father Anthony Maslin and mother Marite (Rin) Norris yesterday issued an official statement directed at soldiers in Ukraine, politicians, the media, and friends and family.

“Our pain is intense and relentless. We live in a hell beyond hell,” they said.

“Our babies are not here with us — we need to live with this act of horror, every day and every moment for the rest of our lives.

“No one deserves what we are going through.

“Not even the people who shot our whole family out of the sky.”

The parents said it was a revelation to them that no hate in the world was as strong as the love they have for their children and Nick Norris, who was escorting the trio back to Perth for the start of school.

“No hate in the world is as strong as the love we have for each other,” they said. “This is a revelation that gives up some comfort. We would ask everyone to remember this when you are making any decisions that affect us and the other victims of this horror.”

They thanked family and friends who had surrounded them since they arrived home in Perth.

“We ask the media to respect the privacy of our family and friends — pain is not a story.”