Malaysian team receives MH17 bodies, black boxes

KIEV/KHARKIV: The two black boxes and bodies of people who were on board the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH17 have been handed over to the Malaysian investigation team, its leader Khairil Hilmi Mokhtar said today.
He said the black boxes were given to the team in Donetsk, Ukraine, where the plane was downed.
"We will take them to the Netherlands before bringing them back home to Malaysia," Khairil told Bernama.
On Monday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said the black boxes would be delivered to a Malaysian team at 9pm (2am in Malaysia) after he had spoken to Alexander Borodai, who is in command of the troubled region where remnants of MH17 were found.
Meanwhile, accident investigation experts from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) arrived in Ukraine over the weekend to begin assisting their Ukrainian counterparts with the official investigation into the loss of MH17.
According to an ICAO statement, the experts will provide guidance and the relevant aspects of the Convention of International Civil Aviation and Annex 13 to the Convention (Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigtion).
It said the convention will assist in fact finding and ensure all evidence is thoroughly considered to determine how the aircraft and its 298 passengers and
crew were tragically lost late last week.
ICAO council president Dr Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu said in the statement the experts will respond to a call for assistance from Ukraine's National Bureau of Incidents and Accidents Investigation of Civil Aircraft.
He also encouraged all applicable ICAO member states to promptly address the needs of the victims' families by providing them with the necessary services and information.
The bodies were taken in refrigerated coaches of a train to Kharkiv, about 500km from Kiev about noon (5pm Malaysian time).
However, the official media personnel, after six hours of waiting since 6am (11pm Malaysian time) were barred from entering the operations area where the bodies would be identified and transferred from the train.
A Kharkiv local government officer said the bodies were taken to a military base before being repatriated.
The team was despatched to Kharkiv, following an announcement by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in Putrajaya Monday night that 282 bodies would be moved by train from Torez to Kharkiv after he had successfully negotiated with Alexander Borodai, who is in command of the region in troubled Ukraine where the tragedy had occurred.
The crash site near Torez is about 300km from Kharkiv.
Najib said the remains would then be flown to Amsterdam on board a Dutch C-130 Hercules, together with the Malaysian team.
Following any necessary forensic work, the remains of Malaysian citizens would then be flown to Malaysia, he added.
The Malaysian special team comprised 23 personnel from the Special Malaysian Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team, 12 police forensic personnel and a transport ministry official.
Nine newsmen also accompanied them.
They departed Kiev at 10.30pm Monday (3.30am today in Malaysia) and arrived at the so-called rendezvous point at 6am today (11am in Malaysia).
Last night, the Malaysian special investigation team had also received two flight data recorders of black boxes in Donetsk.
Following the success in retrieving the bodies and black boxes, the Malaysian investigation team had concluded transferring its operations to the Netherlands.
They will depart to Amsterdam tonight.
MAS Flight MH17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it went down in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, near the Russian border on Thursday night.
The Boeing 777-200 aircraft was carrying 298 people – 283 passengers and 15 crew.
It is believed the plane was shot down but until today, no one has claimed responsibility for downing the aircraft. – Bernama