KIEV: The last of the bodies of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 victims retrieved by pro-Russian separatists will be flown out tomorrow.
Forensics and Disaster Victim Identification teams in Kharkiv are expected to finish scanning and tagging the remains of the victims by today.
National Security Council principal assistant secretary Lieutenant-Colonel Mohd Sukri Hussain said yesterday the Malaysian, Dutch and Australian teams had begun work on the third of the four refrigerated train coaches in which the remains of passengers and crew of the flight were transported to Kharkiv from Torez.
“We should be done by tomorrow (today). After that it is just a matter of flying the remains to Eindhoven.”
Sukri did not say when the last flight out of Kharkiv to Eindhoven would take place but sources said this was likely to be tomorrow.
“The forensics experts are likely to be done by Friday. Depending on flight availability and barring any delays or problems, the last flight will be on the following day.
“Everyone is working hard to get this done so that the families of these victims can get their loved ones back as soon as possible. As has been said before, we don’t want to prolong the families’ suffering for any longer than is necessary,” said a source.
But he was quick to emphasise that teams were placing equal importance to treating the remains with dignity and respect, and that disaster victim identification (DVI) and forensics experts were also aware of the need to be accurate in the identification process.
“We owe them (the victims) and their families as much.”
From Eindhoven, the bodies will be transported via individual hearses to Hilversum army base, about an hour away. This is where the DVI process will be carried out in earnest to positively identify the remains so that they can be returned to their loved ones.
The remains had been retrieved by pro-Russian separatists and placed in refrigerated coaches following last week’s downing of MH17, with all 298 aboard killed.
Negotiations between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and separatist leader and self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic prime minister Alexander Borodai led to the bodies being transported to Kharkiv on Tuesday.
Yesterday, the first two flights carrying the remains to Eindhoven took off. Among them were 26 bodies believed to be Malaysians.
The Health Ministry DVI and forensics experts from the police and the armed forces’ Royal Medical Corps not engaged in Kharkiv left for the Netherlands from Kiev yesterday. They will proceed to the Hilversum military base to begin work on the remains of MH17 victims.
A DVI unit member said the teamwere eager to get to work as soon as possible so as to quickly get the remains of victims back to their families.