A Dutch cyclist who says he was scheduled to be on both Malaysia Airlines flights MH370 and MH17 — only to switch his tickets at the last minute — knows he's lucky to be alive but has decided to stop speaking publicly about it.
Maarten de Jonge, a 29-year-old rider for the Terengganu team in Malaysia, said in a statement on his website that he's been inundated with media requests since tweeting about his fortunate change of plans.
"I'm frankly overwhelmed by the number of requests," de Jonge said. "What has happened is terrible, so many victims, that's a horrible thing. From reverence for the victims and their families, I do not think it [is] appropriate to tell my story."
Officials say 298 people — 189 of them Dutch citizens — were killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was struck by a surface-to-air missile along the Russia-Ukraine border.
While de Jonge said he is "happy" he decided not to take the flight at "the last moment," his story "is ultimately nothing compared to the misery so many people are [experiencing]. Attention should be paid to the victims and survivors. Wishing everyone affected by this disaster a lot of strength."
The cyclist was planning to travel back to Kuala Lumpur on Flight MH17 on July 17 after competing in last month's National Championship Road Race in the Netherlands, but told a local television station he decided to save money by flying through Frankfurt instead.
According to the Telegraph, de Jonge was scheduled to be on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing in March but switched his ticket to avoid a stopover. The flight disappeared from radar and has yet to be found.
"I could have taken that one just as easily," de Jonge said, according to RTV Oost. "It's inconceivable. I am very sorry for the passengers and their families, yet I am very pleased I'm unharmed."
According to his website, de Jonge, who finished 35th at the Dutch cycling event, was still planning to fly to Malaysia via Frankfurt on Sunday.
"I have been lucky twice,” he said. “You should try not to worry too much because then you won’t get anywhere."
据外国媒体7月21日报道，一位荷兰籍自行车手先后购买了马来西亚航空公司MH370和MH17航班的机票，但都在最后一刻决定改签，两次幸运地躲过了死神之手。
29岁的马尔滕·德扬是马来西亚登嘉楼州自行车队的一名队员。他在自己个人网站的一份声明中表示，自从他在社交网络“推特网”上叙述了自己幸运的经历以来，已经快要被媒体的采访要求给淹没了。
“老实说，面对这么多的采访要求，我有点不知所措。”马尔滕说，“这两起事故都太可怕了，如此多的受害者都因此而失去了生命。为了表示对这些受害者及其家属的尊敬，我觉得不应该再四处讲述自己的故事了。”
在最近发生的马航MH17事故中，一枚地对空导弹在俄乌边境击中了这架载有298名乘客的客机，其中189人为荷兰公民。机上无一人幸存。
对此，马尔滕表示，他很“庆幸”自己在最后一刻没有乘坐这架客机，但和其他遇难者相比，这算不了什么。因此，他呼吁人们更多地关注遇难者及其家属，并希望每一个因为因此而受到影响的人能够坚强地面对生活。
在接受当地一家电视台采访时，马尔滕回忆说，自己在结束了于荷兰举行的全国冠军公路赛后，本打算乘坐7月17日的MH17航班返回吉隆坡，但为了省钱还是决定先到法兰克福转机。
另据英国《每日电讯报》报道，今年3月，马尔滕曾计划乘坐MH370航班，但为了避免中转而改了机票。而这架客机之后也神秘地从雷达中消失了，至今仍下落不明。
“我本来很容易就能登上那一架飞机的。”马尔滕说，“真是太不可思议了。一方面，我为那些遇难者和他们的家属表示遗憾。另一方面，我为自己能够躲过一劫而感到非常高兴。”
在他的网站上，这位刚刚在荷兰自行车赛中获得第35名的车手表示，自己依然打算乘坐周日的航班由法兰克福飞往马来西亚。
“我这两次都非常地幸运。”他说，“不过，我不会太担心自己今后是否还会出事，不然我就哪儿也去不了了。”
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