MH17: Another 2 to 3 weeks before bodies can be identified

PUTRAJAYA: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam (pix) said it would take another two to three weeks before the bodies of flight MH17 victims could be identified.
"There were only about 150 bodies that were intact, some 300 body parts found at the crash site needs to be analysed further.
"All these body parts were brought to Hilversum in 226 coffins after Phase 1 of the search,"said Subramaniam during a press conference at his ministry.
"Some of the coffins contained the remains of more than one victim in body bags. As of yesterday (Tuesday), all the body bags have been opened," he said.
Subramaniam said in one to two weeks time the examination of the remains would conclude and the next phase of matching it with fingerprints, dental records and DNA samples would commence.
"I was there in Amsterdam together with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, where we met the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. For now, the Malaysian forensic team are there together with the international Disaster Victim Identification team to expedite things," he added
Subramaniam said it is possible that the remains of some victims may not be recovered.
"After the bodies are identified, we will work with the families on bringing the bodies home or otherwise, according to their requests," he added.