Indian-origin steward on board MH17 swapped flights

An Indian origin flight steward was among the 15 crew members on board the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down over Ukraine Thursday, media reported Friday.

Sanjid Singh Sandu, 41, had swapped flights with his colleague to fly on the MH17, the Malaysian Insider reported.

"He was last here about a month ago. He told us recently that he swapped with a colleague for the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight," Sandu's father Jijar Singh, 71, said.

Sandu was Jijar's youngest child and the only son.

"He always called us before he left for his trip," Singh said.

Just 131 days ago, Sandu's wife, also a Malaysia Airlines flight stewardess, had swapped out of flight MH370 which vanished while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

"Sanjid's wife was meant to fly on MH370 but swapped with another colleague at the last minute," Singh said.

"He was supposed to come here at noon after he returns from Amsterdam this morning. His mother had prepared all his favourite dishes," Singh said

Sandu's parents received the news from their daughter-in-law at 4 a.m. Friday.

Sandu and his family, including their seven-year-old son, live in Kuala Lumpur.

The Kuala Lumpur-bound Malaysia Airlines MH17 jetliner crashed Thursday over Ukraine near the Russian border, with all the 298 passengers and crew members on board reportedly killed. It was believed to have been shot down by a rocket.

The flight had taken off from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.