CHINA TOPIX

05/14/2024 01:35:41 am

Make CT Your Homepage

40 Bodies from Downed MH17 Return to Dutch Soil

MH17

(Photo : REUTERS/STRINGER) New report indicates the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 was brought down by "high-energy objects" that pierced it from the outside.

The bodies of victims who boarded the ill-fated Malaysian jetliner returned to Dutch soil on Wednesday.

The wooden coffins were carefully carried by Honor guard members to 40 hearses.

The two military transport airplanes in Eindhoven welcomed the still unidentified corpses, with family members of the victims attending the ceremony. The nation's loss was evident in the people's emotions during the meticulously choreographed ceremony.

Like Us on Facebook

The Dutch Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that the number of Dutch victims rose to 192.

The passengers of the jetliner blown on July 17 have different stories. There's one boy who reportedly travelled to visit his grandparents. There is also a flight attendant who was trying to get home.

Of the 298 people who boarded Flight 17, majority were Dutch citizens, according to reports. Authorities said Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine shot down the plane using an SA-11 missile by accident.

One week into the investigation, the authorities still do not have access to the crime site.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he feared the bodies would never be recovered. He has proposed an international force from Malaysia, Australia and the Netherlands to help with the investigation.

Abbott said Thursday 50 policemen are already on standby in London, ready to be deployed.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop travelled with her Dutch ally Frans Timmermans to Kiev. Bishop went to the Ukraine government to seek out an agreement to allow access to the wreckage site. 

Real Time Analytics