Flight MH370 and Questions I Hope Never Have to be Answered......

Image Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-not-tracked-to-malacca-air-force-1.2567697

        I can't ever remember following a news story as intensely as I've followed this one.  The fact that a modern jet airliner can simply disappear fills me with a sense of morbid fascination.  Every time I check the news, I'm expecting to see the headline that flight MH370 has been found.  I feel like finding the plane would allow me to put the story behind me,and when I get that feeling, I realize the  unfathomable grief people with loved ones on the missing flight must be going through.
      Now that I've been rooted in this class for the better part of three months, my mind is also forced to wonder what might be done if the remains of those lost on this flight are never found.  How does this effect funerary rituals? Also, what evidence can be left in a memorial of a person mourned in absentia? Will there be any?  These question become vastly more complicated when we take into account that there are people of 14 different nationalities missing with the plane.

Here's a breakdown of nationalities:

1. China - 152 plus 1 infant
2. Malaysia - 38
3. Indonesia - 12
4. Australia - 7
5. France - 3
6. United States of America - 3 plus 1 infant
7. New Zealand - 2
8. Ukraine - 2
9. Canada - 2
10. Russia - 1
11. Italy - 1
12. Taiwan - 1
13. Netherlands - 1
14. Austria - 1
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26503469

"Rescue workers from a Buddhist organisation pray during multi-religion mass prayers for the passengers of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, March 9, 2014"
Image Source: http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/2014-03/10/content_17335895.htm

      With this much cultural diversity on board, and I imagine their is also smattering off religious, and spiritual beliefs that divide the nationalities. The mourning and funerary events that will occur in the next while will be interesting to follow. A possible (but perhaps ethically questionable) project would be to document and describe these rituals as they occur.  Some research questions I would ask might be:

1. Are there distinct funerary rituals for missing body funerals that can be grouped by geographic region?
2. What is the most common practice in this case in memorializing a body in absentia?
3.  Are there any cases of substitutes for bodies used in a funerary practice?
4.  Is there some cases where the funeral cannot take place until corporeal remains are found?

Although I ask these questions, I hope the opportunity for them to be answered never comes.  The best case scenario would be for this plane, and the people who were with it when it went down, to be found as soon as possible. This way, the people who are trapped in this horrible mystery can begin their process of closure.