KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- As foreign tourists giggled and swigged beer at Malaysia’s swanky Everly Putrajaya Hotel, the family of a flight engineer who was among the passengers on Flight 370 got the news they had been dreading: the plane went down in the Indian Ocean.
Although much of the English-language announcement from Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was lost on Selamat Omar, he understood enough to know that his son Mohd Khairul Amri Selamat, 29, was lost to the waters.
In an earlier NBC News exclusive interview, he said he was resigned to any news that might emerge about the missing flight, but that did not stop tears from welling up in his eyes as he watched Najib's speech on television in the lobby of the hotel. His wife placed a hand on his shoulder, her eyes also brimming with tears.
It was not clear whether they had also received the text messages sent from the airline saying the plane had been "lost and that none of those aboard survived."
As the news sank in, they retreated from the lobby to a private corner of the hotel to collect their thoughts.