SURABAYA, Indonesia — For many, it was a family trip to Singapore to ring in the new year, a chance to go shopping and enjoy the city’s famed restaurants. One family was going to visit their 15-year-old daughter, who had just begun studying at a Christian girls’ school. Others were taking a familiar flight to a city they visited often for getaways.
Just 15, Chiara Natasha lost her entire family in the tragedy.
Chiara’s parents and two brothers were flying to visit her in Singapore, where she had just moved in early November to study on a Singapore government scholarship.
The family had sent her off from Surabaya airport less than two months ago, promising to visit her to celebrate the new year and help her settle into dormitory life at the Methodist Girls’ School, said her aunt, Linda Patricia.
Chiara, a petite teenager with long black hair, had flown back to Surabaya herself Sunday — the day Flight 8501 went missing — and waited at the airport Monday and Tuesday for clues about the plane.
Her older brother, Nico Giovanni, 17, has been studying in Singapore since last year. He had returned to Surabaya for year-end holidays and was to start his new term at St. Andrew’s Junior College, her aunt said.
Chiara’s father, Herumanto Tanus, 46, was an accountant and Linda’s youngest brother. Her mother, Indahju Liongsih, was a homemaker. Chiara’s younger brother, Justin Giovanni, was 9.
‘‘We are all heartbroken and Chiara still finds it hard to accept’’ her family members’ deaths, Linda said. ‘‘I am thankful that the plane has been found. My only hope is that all their bodies will be found and evacuated no matter what the condition is so that we can have a proper closure.’’