PUTRAJAYA: The remains of nine victims of the MH17 crash will be flown back to Malaysia from Amsterdam on Tuesday, instead of eight announced earlier.
Armed Forces chief General Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin said the nine remains included that of a child and two foreigners who perished in the tragedy with their Malaysian wives.
The remains of the foreigners, including a Dutch citizen, will be arriving with the remains of their Malaysian wives.
Four of the remains will be brought back in urns as their bodies had been cremated.
Zulkifeli said the foreigners would be given full Malaysian military honours but would have their respective national flags draped on the casket and urn.
He said five remains would be transported out of the Klang Valley — to Penang and Perak.
However, Zulkifeli said the number could change, depending on several factors.
“We cannot confirm at the moment because the figures fluctuate due to factors which have a bearing on the final figure,” he said after chairing a meeting on the official ceremony at the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) headquarters here yesterday.
Zulkifeli said the government would confirm the number of remains arriving on Tuesday after a meeting chaired by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein on Monday.
Zulkifeli said those expected to attend the state-organised arrival ceremony in KLIA would be named after the meeting.
He said the five remains to be brought outside Klang Valley included three that will be flown to the Bayan Lepas International Airport in Penang, and one to a Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Perak. The fifth would be transported by hearse to Seremban. The identities of the remains have not been disclosed.
The RMAF is expected to deploy EC750 helicopters to transport the remains and a Hercules C-130 aircraft will be on standby.