[Watch] 46 Years Later, Surviving Japan Airlines Crash Victim Reunites With Malaysian Hero Journalist
Maria Jean Burkhart expresses gratitude to R Nadeswaran for saving her life during the JAL tragedy in 1977.
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A heartwarming reunion occurred between Maria Jean Burkhart and veteran journalist R Nadeswaran, who saved her life during the Japan Airlines (JAL) tragedy 1977.
At the time of the crash, Maria was only three years old and the youngest survivor.
Nadeswaran, then a part-time reporter who played a pivotal role in covering the crash, rescued her and carried her to safety.
FMT reported that the two were reunited in Kuala Lumpur after 46 years, and Maria expressed her gratitude to Nadeswaran, now a 72-year-old columnist, for saving her life.
She said that meeting him reminded her how precious life is and how lucky she was to have been saved by a good and upstanding man.
Nadeswaran, an award-winning journalist who has received numerous accolades for his contributions to journalism in Malaysia, said that meeting Maria was like a blast from the past and that he was happy to have reunited with her.
The JAL tragedy occurred on September 27, 1977, when the aircraft carrying Maria’s family from Seremban to California crashed into a hill at Elmina Estate, Sungai Buloh.
Maria’s father, Robert Nelson, was one of the 49 fatalities. Maria and her mother, Salimah Nordin, were among the 45 survivors. Maria suffered a scar above her eye in the crash.
Reunited with a hero: A story of gratitude, friendship, and hope
Nadeswaran’s heroic rescue of Maria was captured in an iconic photo that was front-paged in The New Straits Times and The Malay Mail.
Maria had kept a news clipping of the photo all these years and used it to trace Nadeswaran.
They developed a close friendship after connecting through email.
Maria’s trip to Malaysia also allowed her to visit the crash site and trace her relatives in Seremban.
She requested help from the public to locate her aunt and cousin, whom she only remembers by their first name.
Nadeswaran hopes that a cenotaph will be erected at the crash site to complement the memorial built in the Japanese cemetery in Kuala Lumpur.
Sime Darby Properties, which is developing the area, preserved a few pieces of the plane’s remains when cleared.
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