The mother of one of the passengers on the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370 could not hold back her tears after seeing a photo of her son, Jee Jing Hang on television during a special clip airing the faces of all the passengers and crew members on the plane.

Giat Hua said she was overcome with sadness and grief especially with the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration set to take place next month.

She was also seen crying throughout the announcement made by Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) Malaysia director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman on Thursday, declaring the flight an accident.

According to Jing Hang’s cousin who only wants to be known as Jane, Giat Hua had been very anxious throughout the announcement.

She said, Giat Hua still cannot accept the fact that her son is among the 239 passengers and crew on board Flight MH370 which has been missing for nearly a year.

The family have also not made any preparations for Chinese New Year as they are still in mourning for the loss of a family member.

Jane said, even if they were to celebrate the new year, it would be on a moderate scale as previous preparations had been done by Jing Hang.

“All the preparations were always done by Jing Hang, including buying the cakes and biscuits to be served to guests.

“His mother only knew about the announcement a few hours before the event. She had held on to hopes that her son would one day be found. She cannot accept what the DCA had announced today. She is still hoping for a miracle,” Jane added.

The DCA today announced that Flight MH370 has been officially declared an accident under international aviation rules, and that all 239 passengers and crew aboard are presumed to have lost their lives.

The Boeing 777-200ER plane went missing 40 minutes after departing from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 last year. Of the 239 passengers and crew on board, 50 were Malaysians.