It was a stark and painful reminder. The sound of fireworks echoing
through the streets of Surabaya as the clock dragged toward midnight
underlining the fact that so many of the victims of QZ8501 were on their
way to Singapore to celebrate the new year there.
They never made it. And
for the past four days, the CNN crew has witnessed the shock, disbelief,
frustration, and finally the devastating realization from the families
of those missing.
Since Sunday evening, we
have been staffing our live camera position 24 hours a day just a few
paces from the crisis center at Surabaya International Airport.