KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 ― With no information left at hand to give them their much-desired closure to the MH370 tragedy, Malaysia issued a reminder to the angry families of Chinese passengers today ― “we lost our loved ones too”.

The irate families have hurled every accusation possible at the Malaysian authorities, from claims that its agencies had acted too slowly when handling the crisis or that they withheld key information to help the probe, to labeling them “murderers” outright.

The Chinese accounted for a majority of those aboard the ill-fated jetliner ― 153 of the 239 people ― that left Malaysian shores at 12.41am on March 8 towards Beijing.

“We fully understand,” acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today at a press conference that was broadcast live on TV.

“For the Chinese families... they must also understand. We in Malaysia also lost our loved ones.

“There are so many other nations who have lost loved ones.”

Hishammuddin was fielding repeated questions on Malaysia's response to the Chinese families, some of whom staged a protest outside the Malaysian embassy in Beijing yesterday.

The minister acknowledged that he had spoken again of “hoping against hope” yesterday when addressing the daily press conference, even mentioning the possibility of “rescue” in a mission that has now been classified as merely search and recovery.

Malaysia had concluded on Monday, 17 days after MH370 disappeared from sight, that the aircraft had “ended” its journey in the southern Indian Ocean, a wild part of the ocean hardly ever traversed by ships.

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who was careful not to mention outright that all the 239 lives aboard the aircraft were lost.

But in Beijing where Malaysia Airlines was handling the Chinese families, a different message was sent.

“Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived,” the national carrier said in a text message to the families, which was later criticised.

Wails, sobs and angry shouts followed the briefing at the Lido Hotel in Beijing when distraught family members reacted to the news they had been dreading to hear. Some lashed out immediately at Malaysia. Some were ferried away on stretchers when the news proved too much to handle.

Today, two days on, many Chinese families have refused to believe their loved ones had gone down with MH370.

They are now demanding proof ― wreckage from the plane, at the very least ― but faced with the same question today, Hishammuddin repeated this was the one question he could not answer.

“Personally, it is very difficult for me... because I am a father and a brother, and I know what they are going through.

“And until we find the debris and we confirm that the debris belongs to MH370... that very question that they are asking, we cannot provide,” he said.

But Hishammuddin said he believes that time will heal emotions now running high, before urging the Chinese against channeling their anger towards Malaysia.

He pointed out that apart from China and Malaysia, other nations lost their loved ones too.

Apart from the 153 Chinese, there were 50 Malaysians on board, and 12 other nationalities, including those from Australia, Ukraine, Indonesia, France, the US, Iran, Russia, Taiwan, New Zealand, Canada, India and the Netherlands.

“I've seen some images coming from Australia... very rational. They understand that this is a global effort, not blaming directly on Malaysia because we are coordinating something that is unprecedented,” Hishammuddin said.