For a couple of days before he was due to fly to Bali to visit his grandmother, 11-year-old Miguel Panduwinata kept asking his mother about God and about what happens to souls when people die. His mother, Samira, found this very odd as her boy was normally happy-go-lucky and always in a good mood. However, now he just seemed nervous and unhappy which was especially weird since he and his brother were about to have a fantastic holiday that they’d been looking forward to for quite a while.
Miguel’s mood plummeted further as the day of the flight neared. He peppered his mother with more questions about burial and death. The night before the trip, he was so agitated his mother had to hold him in her arms the entire night.
The next day, Samira sighed with relief as Miguel seemed to be back to normal, chatting away with his older brother as they took the train to the airport. Everything went smoothly and before long they reached the airport and were all set to board the plane. As Samira watched her boys walk away, Miguel suddenly turned and ran back to her for a last hug. He told her he would miss her and fearfully asked what would happen if the plane crashed.
The astonished mother did her best to reassure her son that all would be well with him. Miguel’s brother also tried to pacify the young boy. With a sad expression, Miguel finally agreed to board flight MH17.
Just two hours later, Samira received the devastating news that the plane crashed. She barely made it home before fainting of shock. Later, she and other family members of those on board the plane would learn that it had deliberately been shot down.
Samira firmly believes that Miguel had a premonition of the plane’s fate. She regrets not taking what he said seriously and continues to struggle with the idea that her boys may have been saved if only she postponed or canceled the flight.
