[Cooper:] The families of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 are counting the days until their loved one's remains come home. The timing of their return is especially urgent in Malaysia. The country lost 43 people, including all 16 crewmembers and two infants. Their families obviously desperate for the remains of their loved ones to arrive in time for one of the nation's most important holidays. Will Ripley reports from Kuala Lumpur with a CNN exclusive interview with the mother of the chief stewardess.
[Will Ripley, Cnn Correspondent:] Millions of Malaysian Muslims are preparing to celebrate. Monday is Hari Raya, the end of Ramadan, when families are together.
[Hasnan Yusof, Mother:] I feel very, very sad.
[Ripley:] But not the families of Flight 17.
[Yusof:] I have to miss her without seeing her.
[Ripley:] Hasnan Yusof's daughter was chief stewardess Dorah Shahila. This picture was taken one day before her final flight. You still wait for your daughter to walk through that door?
[Yusof:] I'm alone, and I will call for her. I want her to come back and [inaudible].
[Ripley:] Twenty-nine years at Malaysia Airlines, thousands of flights, Shahila never worried about coming home, until a few weeks ago on a family vacation, she talked about MH-370.
[Darlina Kwan, Younger Sister:] She said, what if it was her on board? And she gave a scenario, saying that anything can happen on board.
[Ripley:] It almost seemed to you like she knew something was going to happen.
[Kwan:] Giving a hint, but none of us got it.
[Ripley:] Her sister, Darlina Kwan, knew people on both flights. You're a flight attendant for Malaysia Airlines?
[Kwan:] Yes, I am.
[Ripley:] The airport is just a few kilometers from this mosque. The remains of Shahila and the other Malaysians will come here for the prayer for the dead, but first, they must be identified. The process could take days at best, months at worst. Each day and night without a body delays the Muslim tradition of a quick, proper burial.
[Yusof:] We believe that if you don't do that, she will not be in peace.
[Ripley:] Peace won't come until Shahila is home. On a weekend when Malaysian families are supposed to be together, the families of Flight 17 are torn apart.
[Cooper:] And Will Ripley joins me now from Kuala Lumpur. What's the Malaysian government doing to try to support families at the time?
[Ripley:] As you know, Anderson, Muslim custom calls for burial in a matter of hours after death, so the fact that here we are, more than a week after this crash, and these families are watching the images out of Ukraine, that human remains are still being discovered right now, as we speak, it's agonizing for these families. The Malaysian government can't do anything about that, but what they can do is help the people who are on the plane restore some of their dignity, so they've actually sent representatives to oversee the preparation of the remains once they're identified, to make sure that all of the Muslim procedures and practices are followed. So at least when these people finally come home here to Malaysia, the families can have some peace that their traditions have been honored.
[Cooper:] And have you heard people in Malaysia express concerns or thoughts about their national airline, obviously with two tragedies now in such short a space of time?
[Ripley:] Yeah, absolutely. Not only are their concerns about the national airline's safety, now that there have been these two tragedies, there are concerns about the financial stability. This is an airline that, even before these two disasters, was losing $1.5 million a day. And now there's also a perception among many people that the airline is perhaps unlucky. It's going to definitely be a big challenge, but this country is united. They view Malaysia airlines as a symbol of this country and the people here who have endured so much, so much suffering and so much tragedy, and everybody hopes the airline can recover just like these families are trying to recover right now.
[Cooper:] Will Ripley, appreciate the reporting, Will. Thanks very much. And thanks for joining me today. Join me tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern for "AC360." Wolf, live from Jerusalem, starts right after this.