Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein today confirmed that his step-grandmother was among those on board the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 which was crashed in Ukraine on Thursday.

Siti Amirah Kusuma, 83, was second wife to Mohammad Noah Omar who had passed away in 1990. Mohammad Noah was grandfather to both Hishammuddin and Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Hishammuddin said being angry for personal reasons as he had someone related to him on board the ill-fated aircraft would not help in getting to the bottom of the tragedy.

"What can we do, just being angry won't help," he said when mobbed by reporters after joining a meeting of the next-of-kin of those on board MH17 with Najib today.

During the meeting, Hishammuddin, who was consoling Lt Commander Lee Vee Weng, who lost wife Ng Shi Ing, a son and a sister in-law who were on board the ill-fated aircraft, said he understood Lee's feelings.

"My family (member) was also on board. Yes, it is difficult because of geopolitical landscape and I know you can understand that," said Hishammuddin as he spoke personally to Lee.

Strange premonition

Meanwhile, a grieving husband recalled his wife's last words which he thought strange but now realised were a premonition.

“I won't be with you forever; one day I will go and meet Allah and never return”, were among stewardess Mastura Mustafa's last remarks to Mohamed Affendi Khairuddin through 'WeChat'.

"She also begged forgiveness for any wrong she had done to me. I found it strange that she should say all that and I dismissed her foreboding, assuring her that everyone will go and meet Allah, no one is immortal, but that should we go to Allah, it would be His will," he told Bernama after meeting Najib at a hotel today.

Mohamed Affendi, 43, who is a religious teacher said he was with his wife before her flight to Amsterdam. He said he learnt of the incident through Mastura's brother who is also a MAS staff.

"I am grieving because I thought such tragedy, like the missing MH370 would only happen to other people but not me," he said.

Mohamed Affendi also hoped that his wife's remains could be brought home quickly for a proper burial.

On his meeting with the prime minister, he said he was assured that his wife's remains could possibly be identified.

"The family will be kept updated on what is being carried out there," he said.

Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was carrying 283 passengers of different nationalities and 15 crew when it crashed in Ukraine.

The Boeing 777 jet left Amsterdam at 12.15pm (Netherlands time) on Thursday and was to arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 6.10am (Malaysian time) on Friday.

- Bernama