Remains of 16 Malaysians from MH17 identified

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MH17 The remains of 16 Malaysians who perished in the MH17 tragedy have been identified, the government said today.

Transport Minister Liow Tong Lai said the Malaysian and Dutch authorities have worked tirelessly to identify the remains, which were brought to Netherlands from the crash site in Ukraine and they will be returned shortly.

“The Malaysian government is working towards returning them to be reconciled with their families soon,” Liow ( right ) said in a statement today.

“As a mark of respect and to honour their privacy, we are in the midst of discussing with the next-of-kin pertaining to the reception of the remains when they arrive in Malaysia.

“We have informed family members in Malaysia that the government will accord the victims full honours when they arrive back home,” he said.

He, however, did not reveal the identities nor the date the bodies would be brought home. He instead called on the media to respect the privacy of the families involved and for its help in disseminating information.

Flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17 as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers and 15 crew on board. Of these, 43 were Malaysians.

The Boeing 777 aircraft is believed to have been shot down using a Buk surface-to-air missile over the troubled region, with many nations putting the blame on pro-Russian separatists, while the latter is pinning the blame on the Ukrainian government.



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