The jolt of such atrocities is felt all over the globe, including here in the South of tranquil New Zealand. These deaths are inflicted not by the lottery of life and illness or by capricious accidents, but are the outcome of conflict.
It might well be, and even seems likely, the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777-200 and the children were not deliberately targeted as such. But war so often does not discriminate between combatant and civilian.
The innocent are, in that chilling euphemism, collateral damage.
Strong speculation is that flight MH17 was downed by a Ukrainian rebel surface-to-air missile in what looks like a monumental and catastrophic blunder. The rebels, it is claimed, are supported and supplied by Russia. Given the international fallout, the rebels - who appear to have thought they might have been striking at a Ukrainian plane - might now find Russia backing off because they have become too hot to handle.
The fact the plane carried many European citizens ups the ante and increases the tension. If it is found rebels pulled the trigger and Russia supplied the weapon, or at least other weapons, Western attitudes to Russia will harden.
Momentum could swing towards more effective combined European and US sanctions, and the position of the Ukrainian Government will be strengthened. The tragedy might even force an earlier end to the war.
It has also been suggested Ukraine could have been to blame, and that Russia would never have risked supplying the type of weapon used because it might be traced back. Although the truth might never be fully revealed, United Nations Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has called for a full international and transparent investigation.
Meanwhile, Hamas continues to launch rockets, and Israel, even after the public relations disaster of the slaughter of the boys this week, began a ground offensive into Gaza. Hundreds of civilians are dying in this intractable and tangled mess. Nearby, in Syria, killings go on.
While large-scale and multinational strife has faded, the world remains violent and brutal.
All this puts concerns in the South about cycleways, conference centres, debts and sporting fixtures into perspective. What a blessing to tangle over such issues and debates rather than face the curse of armed conflict or the heartbreak of mass tragedy. This, nonetheless, acknowledges that in every street in Otago there will be families confronting personal calamities, severe difficulties and the loss of loved ones.
But we should be thankful we live in a peaceful paradise, in homes where most of us can sleep safely and not fear for the lives of our families.
Malaysian Airlines, called Asia's best in the 2013 World Travel Awards, must despair at its misfortune. A missile could have obliterated an aircraft from one of several other airlines flying at 32,000 feet or more over the Ukraine. It just so happened this disaster followed the mysterious disappearance of MH370 four months ago.
Already, several airlines have announced they will not fly over the Ukraine, a common route over a huge country from parts of Asia to Europe.
One assumes airlines took this path because it was shorter and, therefore, cheaper and faster. Yet, three months ago there were US warnings about flying over what is a war zone and Qantas and Korea's international airlines decided to bypass the area.
Although, the disaster will, unavoidably, shake public confidence in aviation, travel by plane is still extremely safe on any rational basis. The odds of being killed in a car smash remain much, much higher.
Mass tragedies take place around the world every day.
But when it involves many Westerners and a passenger airliner is, to use the words of US Vice-President Joe Biden, ''blown out of the sky'', the impact on us is marked.
We can but feel for the families and friends of the 298 people killed - and at the same time be thankful for all our good fortune.
