New Year celebrations in Malaysia and Indonesia sombre amidst floods and AirAsia tragedy

This article is more than 12 months old

Jan 01, 2015 01:13 pm

Across the world, people celebrated their countdown to the new year with fireworks and music.

But in Malaysia and Indonesia, a sombre mood prevailed after the crash of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 carrying 162 people and flooding in the northeast of Malaysia that has displaced almost 250,000 people.

Year-end celebrations were cancelled and people were told to celebrate in a quiet manner.

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In Kuala Lumpur, many organisers called off their annual fireworks display while others launched fundraising campaigns for flood victims, according to The Star.

In Indonesia, where most of the QZ8501 AirAsia flight victims were from, New Year festivities in the capital started solemnly with a prayer for the victims while relatives gathered in Surabaya for a candlelit vigil in the hours before midnight.